Emirate of Granada The Emirate of Granada ( , trans . " Imarat Gharnāṭah " ) , also known as the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada ( ) , was an emirate established in 1238 following the defeat of Muhammad an - Nasir of the Almohad dynasty by an alliance of Christian kingdoms at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212 . After Prince Idris left Iberia to take the Almohad leadership , the ambitious Mohammed I ibn Nasr established the last Muslim dynasty on the Iberian peninsula - the Nasrids . The Nasrid emir s were responsible for building the Alhambra palace complex . Arabic was the official language and mother tongue of the majority of the population . Tributary State . With the Reconquista in full swing after the conquest of Córdoba in June 1236 , Mohammed I ibn Nasr aligned Granada with Ferdinand III of Castile in 1238 , thereby creating a tributary state , or " taifa " , under the Crown of Castile . Granada remained a tributary state for the next 250 years , with Nasrid emirs paying tribute to Castilian kings mostly in the form of gold from present - day Mali and Burkina Faso that was carried to Iberia through the merchant routes in the Sahara . The Nasrids also provided military assistance to Castile for its conquest of areas under Muslim control , most notably Seville in November 1248 and the Taifa of Niebla in 1262 . . In 1305 , Granada conquered Ceuta , but lost control of the city in 1309 to the Kingdom of Fez with the assistance of the Crown of Aragon . Granada re - captured Ceuta a year later , but again lost it in 1314 . Granada again held the city from 1315 to 1327 . In 1384 , Granada again re - took Ceuta but lost it definitively in 1387 . Granada ' s peace with Castile broke down on various occasions . Granada lost territory to Castile at the Battle of Teba in 1330 . In 1340 , Granada under Yusuf I supported the failed Marinid invasion of the Iberian Peninsula , which ended at the Battle of Río Salado . Regional Entrepôt . Granada ' s status as a tributary state and its favorable geographic location , with the Sierra Nevada mountains as a natural barrier , helped to prolong Nasrid rule and allowed the Emirate to prosper as a regional entrepôt with the Maghreb and the rest of the Africa . In fact , Granada was a prosperous city during the Crisis of the Late Middle Ages when much of Europe stagnated . Granada also served as a refuge for Muslims fleeing during the Reconquista . Regardless of its comparative prosperity , intra - political strife was constant , skirmishes along the border occurred frequently and territory was gradually lost to Castile . Granada was tightly integrated in Mediterranean trade networks and heavily financed by Genoese bankers aiming to gain control of the gold trade carried in through Saharan caravan routes . However , after Portugal opened direct trade routes to Africa by sea in the 15th century , Granada became less important as a regional commercial center . With the union of Castile and Aragon in 1469 , these kingdoms set their sights on annexing Granada . Fall of Granada . The invasion of Granada would offer an opportunity for Ferdinand and Isabella to harness the restless Castilian nobility against a common enemy and instill subjects with a sense of loyalty to the crown . The Emirate ' s attack on the Castilian frontier town of Zahara in December 1481 provided the provocation for a Christian invasion . The Granada War began in 1482 , with Christian forces capturing Alhama de Granada in February 1482 . This marked the beginning of a grinding 10 - year war . The Christian force was made up of troops provided by Castilian nobles , towns , and the " Santa Hermandad " , as well as Swiss mercenaries . The Catholic Church also encouraged other Christian countries to offer their troops and their finances to the war effort . Meanwhile civil war erupted in Granada as a result of succession struggles in the Nasrid ruling house . Castile used this internal strife as an opportunity to push further into Granada . By 1491 , the city of Granada itself lay under siege . On November 25 , 1491 , the Treaty of Granada was signed , setting out the conditions for surrender . On January 2 , 1492 , the last Muslim leader , Muhammad XII , known as " Boabdil " to the Spanish , gave up complete control of Granada , to Ferdinand and Isabella , " Los Reyes Católicos " ( " The Catholic Monarchs " ) . Aftermath . The Christian ousting of Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula with the conquest of Granada did not extinguish the spirit of the " Reconquista " . Isabella urged Christians to pursue a conquest of Africa . About 200 , 000 Muslims are thought to have emigrated to North Africa after the fall of Granada . Initially , under the conditions of surrender , the Muslims who remained were guaranteed their property , laws , customs , and religion . Following an uprising in 1500 , these rights were withdrawn and Muslims in the area saw a steady decline in these liberties , until a second revolt in 1568 - 1571 led to their expulsion from the former Emirate .