Alhambra Palace and Fortress Complex in Granada, Spain

The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex
located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was
originally constructed as a small fortress
in 889 and then largely ignored until its
ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid
11th century by the Moorish king Mohammed
ben Al-Ahmar of the Kingdom of Granada who
built its current palace and walls, and later
converted into a royal palace in 1333
by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada.

Alhambra Palace and Fortress Complex in Granada, Spain
After being allowed to fall into disrepair
for centuries, the Alhambra was rediscovered
in the 19th century by European scholars and
travelers, with restorations commencing.
It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions,
exhibiting the country's most significant
and well known Islamic architecture, together
with 16th-century and later Christian building
and garden interventions. The Alhambra is
a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the inspiration
for many songs and stories.
Despite long neglect, willful vandalism and
some ill-judged restoration, the Alhambra
endures as an atypical example of Muslim art
in its final European stages, relatively uninfluenced
by the direct Byzantine influences found in
the Mezquita of Cordoba.

Moorish poets described it as "a pearl set
in emeralds," in allusion to the colour of
its buildings and the woods around them. The
palace complex was designed with the mountainous
site in mind and many forms of technology
were considered. The park, which is overgrown
with wildflowers and grass in the spring,
was planted by the Moors with roses, oranges
and myrtles; its most characteristic feature,
however, is the dense wood of English elms
brought by the Duke of Wellington in 1812.
The park has a multitude of nightingales and
is usually filled with the sound of running
water from several fountains and cascades.