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Alhambra Granada Andalusia
Of all Spain's tens of thousands of historical monuments, the Alhambra stands supreme. The final manifestation of the doomed Moorish civilization in the peninsula, its history also mirrors that the of Spain in the succeeding six centuries. Taken by Fernando and Isabel in a surge that culminated in Catholic Spain ruling vast tracts of Europe and New World, it, like the country, eventually fell into dereliction and then use as a barracks in the war-torn 19th century.
Rediscovered by Romantic travelers, it is now one of Europe's most-visited destinations!
The defensible hills were the principal reason why the Zirid rulers moved their town from nearby Elvira to Granada in the early 11th century. A natural fortress, the Sabika hill on which the Alhambra stands had previously been used by the Romans and Visigoths, but only a few remnants have been found from those eras. The Zirids fortified the hill, although their main palace was on the facing Albayzín. The Alhambra as we see it today was principally a construction of the later Nasrid dynasty, who rose to power in the 1230s and established the hill as their seat of power. The Nasrids ruled Granada until 1492 and are responsible for the most of the many buildings that form the Alhambra complex. Of these, their royal palace complex is what inspires visitors with the most awe. After Boabdil surrendered the city and fortress to the Catholic Monarchs, many modifications were made to the existing structures, and several new edifices were thrown up, not least of which is the bulky Renaissance Palacio de Carlos V. The name Alhambra is from Arabic al-qalat al-hambra, meaning the red fort, perhaps from the colour of the sandstone, especially in the setting sun.
Alhambra Granada Andalusia
Of all Spain's tens of thousands of historical monuments, the Alhambra stands supreme. The final manifestation of the doomed Moorish civilization in the peninsula, its history also mirrors that the of Spain in the succeeding six centuries. Taken by Fernando and Isabel in a surge that culminated in Catholic Spain ruling vast tracts of Europe and New World, it, like the country, eventually fell into dereliction and then use as a barracks in the war-torn 19th century.
Rediscovered by Romantic travelers, it is now one of Europe's most-visited destinations!
The defensible hills were the principal reason why the Zirid rulers moved their town from nearby Elvira to Granada in the early 11th century. A natural fortress, the Sabika hill on which the Alhambra stands had previously been used by the Romans and Visigoths, but only a few remnants have been found from those eras. The Zirids fortified the hill, although their main palace was on the facing Albayzín. The Alhambra as we see it today was principally a construction of the later Nasrid dynasty, who rose to power in the 1230s and established the hill as their seat of power. The Nasrids ruled Granada until 1492 and are responsible for the most of the many buildings that form the Alhambra complex. Of these, their royal palace complex is what inspires visitors with the most awe. After Boabdil surrendered the city and fortress to the Catholic Monarchs, many modifications were made to the existing structures, and several new edifices were thrown up, not least of which is the bulky Renaissance Palacio de Carlos V. The name Alhambra is from Arabic al-qalat al-hambra, meaning the red fort, perhaps from the colour of the sandstone, especially in the setting sun.