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.

## Media 

Image:Patio Paleis Karel V.jpg|Patio of the palace of Charles V
Image:Panorámica Alhambra y Sierra Nevada de fondo.jpg|Panoramic view
Image:Alambra_night_thierry_brouard.jpg|Panoramic view, illuminated at night
Image:Honeycomb_work.jpg|Mocárabes or honeycomb works
Image:Granada Alhambra Fuente de los leones.jpg|Lions Fontain
Image:Spain Andalusia Granada BW 2015-10-25 17-28-47.jpg|Court of the Lions
Image:Alhambra Löwenhof 7.JPG|Court of the Lions
Image:Palacio Nazaries, Alhambra, Granada.jpg|Detail looking up wall, Golden Room patio
Image:Alhambra de noche.JPG|Alhambra illuminated at night
Image:Spain Andalusia Granada BW 2015-10-25 17-47-40 1.jpg|The pool of the El Partal Palace
Image:court of lions in Palacio Nazaries.jpg|Light effects in the Court of Lions
Image:Palacio de Comares.jpg|Guests in the Comares Palace
Image:Alhambra wall detail.jpg|Detail of a wall of the palacios nazaries
Image:Alhambra.1.ogv|Video walkthrough of the Alhambra - part 1
Image:Alhambra.2.ogg|Video walkthrough of the Alhambra - part 2
Image:Alhambra.3.ogg|Video walkthrough of the Alhambra - part 3

## 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.&nbsp;162–71.
* D. Fairchild Ruggles, *Islamic Gardens and Landscapes*, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2008.
* Steves, Rick (2004). *Spain and Portugal 2004*, pp.&nbsp;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