Alhambra

The **Alhambra** (from Arabic  = Al-Ħamrā', literally "the red fort"; the complete name was  = al-Qal'at al-Ħamrā' = "the red fortress") is a palace and fortress complex of the Moorish rulers of Granada in southern Spain (known as _Al-Andalus_ when the fortress was constructed during the mid 14th century), occupying a hilly terrace on the southeastern border of the city of Granada.

## History

In the Middle Ages the Alhambra was the residence of the Muslim rulers of Granada and their court, now it is one of Spain's major tourist attractions. There one can see the most famous Islamic Architecture of the country. Within the Alhambra, the Palace of Charles V was erected by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527.

The Muslim rulers lost Granada and Alhambra in 1492 without the fortress itself being attacked when King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile took the surrounding region with an overwhelming force of numbers.

## Other reading sources

- Grabar, Oleg. _The Alhambra_. Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1978.
- Jacobs, Michael and Francisco Fernandez. _Alhambra_. New York: Rizzoli International Publications, 2000.
- Lowney, Chris. _A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment_. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 2005.
- Menocal, Maria, Rosa. _The Ornament of the World_. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2002.
- Read, Jan. _The Moors in Spain and Portugal_. London: Faber and Faber, 1974.
- D. Fairchild Ruggles, “Alhambra,” in _Encyclopaedia of Islam_, third edition. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 2008.
- D. Fairchild Ruggles, _Gardens, Landscape, and Vision in the Palaces of Islamic Spain_, Philadelphia: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2000.
- D. Fairchild Ruggles, “The Gardens of the Alhambra and the Concept of the Garden in Islamic Spain,” in _Al-Andalus: The Arts of Islamic Spain_, ed. Jerrilynn Dodds. New York: Metropolitan Museum, 1992, pp. 162–71.
- D. Fairchild Ruggles, _Islamic Gardens and Landscapes_, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008.
- Steves, Rick (2004). _Spain and Portugal 2004_, pp. 204–205. Avalon Travel Publishing. .
- lexicorient.com
- Stewart, Desmond. _The Alhambra_. Newsweek Publishing, 1974. .
- The World Heritage. _Istanbul and Cordoba_, Vol. #15. Film Ideas, 2008. .

## Related pages

- Islamic architecture

## References

- Lowney, Chris. _A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment_. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 2005.

## Other websites

- Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife . Official web page of the Alhambra
- Guided Tours Alhambra
- Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife. Official web page for particular clients
- www.AlhambraDeGranada.org
- www.alhambra.org
- www.AlhambraGranada.info
- BBC Four documentary  —  Art in Islamic Spain
- Article about Alhambra as one of the 21 candidates shortlisted for the New7Wonders of the World
- Alhambra in turgranada.es  Official site for tourism of the province of Granada
- Photos of Alhambra
- Alhambra Architectural Review
- Photos and text at greatbuildings.com
- Alhambra - information on garden history and design
- Detailed study with photos of the Alhambra Granada
- Google maps satellite image
- Article with English translations of the poems on the walls of Alhambra *
- Washington Irving's _Tales of the Alhambra_
- Panoramic virtual tour of Alhambra
- Large photo collection of the Alhambra and palaces

## Infobox (unesco world heritage site)

- **image**: Dawn Charles V Palace Alhambra Granada Andalusia Spain.jpg
- **caption**: Charles V palace in Alhambra
- **id**: 314-001
- **year**: 1984
- **extension**: 1994
- **part of**: Alhambra, Generalife and Albaicín, Albayzín, Granada
- **criteria**: Cultural: i, iii, iv
- **location**: Granada, Andalusia, Spain
- **locmapin**: Spain
- **map caption**: Location in Spain