Story
The story of Alhambra
The Alhambra is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and the only well-preserved palace of the medieval Islamic world. Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, founder of the Emirate of Granada – the last Muslim state of al-Andalus – began building it in 1238 on the Sabika hill.
Later sultans kept adding to it; the most important work, which gave the royal palaces their character, came in the 14th century under Yusuf I and Muhammad V. It was a self-contained royal city with at least six palaces, the most famous being the Comares Palace and the Palace of the Lions. After the Christian conquest of 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella held court here, and it was here that Columbus received royal backing for his voyage.
Later neglected and damaged by Napoleon's troops in 1812, it was brought back to world attention by Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra in 1832. Enter the Nasrid Palaces at your booked time and let the courtyards unfold one by one.
This story is compiled from Wikipedia and other open sources; dates and numbers are checked against the source. The text is shared under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence. Source ↗
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More highlights in Granada
- Puerta de ElviraThe Gate of Elvira is an arch located in Granada, Spain. It was declared Bien de Interés Cultural in 1896. It is located at the beginning of Calle Elvira (Elvira Street), on the edge of the Albaicín neighbourhood.
- Madrasah of GranadaThe Madrasa of Granada also known as the Palacio de la Madraza or the Madrasa Yusufiyya, is a historic building and former madrasa in Granada, Spain. It was founded in 1349 by the Nasrid monarch Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada.
- Palacio de los OlvidadosThe Palace of the Forgotten is a museum in Granada, Spain, dedicated to the Spanish Inquisition, and Granada's and Andalusia's heritage.
- Royal Chapel of GranadaThe Royal Chapel of Granada is an Isabelline style building in Granada, Spain. Constructed between 1505 and 1517, it was originally integrated in the complex of the neighbouring Granada Cathedral.
- Monasterio de San JerónimoThe Royal Monastery of St. Jerome is a Roman Catholic Hieronymite monastery in Granada, Spain. Architecturally, it is in the Renaissance style.
- Arc of GranadasThe Gate of the Pomegranates is an historical access point of a pathway that leads through the Forest of the Alhambra to the Nasrid palace that is the Alhambra, located in the city of Granada, Spain.