The Alhambra is a palace and fortress overlooking the town of Granada in southern Spain. The large and stately compound was home to the Muslim Moors who ruled Spain in the Middle Ages. Constructed during the 13th and 14th centuries, the Alhambra is renowned for its beauty.

Design

The name Alhambra means “the red” in Arabic and probably refers to the color of the sun-dried tapia, or bricks made of fine gravel and clay, of which the outer walls of the palace are built. The Alhambra includes the palace and the fortress that guarded it, known as the Alcazaba. The Alcazaba is the oldest part of the compound. Only its massive outer walls, towers, and ramparts are left. Beyond the palace and fortress is the Alhambra Alta (Upper Alhambra), which was home to high-level officials and was part of a royal city constituting a seat of government.

The principal courts of the palace are the Patio de los Arrayanes (Court of the Myrtles) and the Patio de los Leones (Court of the Lions), so named because in the center is the Fountain of the Lions, a large water basin supported by 12 white marble lions.

The Alhambra complex also includes a summer palace known as the Generalife. Occupying the center of this palace is a wide courtyard surrounded by terraced gardens, pools, and fountains. A theater within the Generalife is the site of international performances of music and dance.

History

The Alhambra was constructed on a flat and elevated stretch of land that overlooks the city of Granada. It was built chiefly between 1238 and 1358 during the reigns of the Muslim ruler Ibn al-Ahmar and his successors. Muslims, or followers of the religion of Islam, had invaded Spain in the early 8th century and eventually conquered the country. By the late 13th century, however, the Christian kingdoms of Castile and Aragon had recaptured most of Spain. In 1492 they conquered Granada, the last stronghold of the Moors.

After expelling the last of the Moors, the Christian conquerors destroyed much of the interior of the Alhambra. The Spanish ruler Charles I, who reigned from 1516 to 1556, rebuilt portions of the palace in the Renaissance style. The Alhambra suffered further damage in 1812, when Napoleon Bonaparte's French troops blew up several towers of the palace. In 1821 an earthquake caused further damage to the structure. Restoration of the building was undertaken in 1828 and continued through the 20th century.

In 1984 officials of the United Nations (UN) designated the Alhambra and the Generalife as a World Heritage site. These are places that the UN determines to have “outstanding universal value” because of their cultural or natural significance.