Alhambra

The Alhambra (from Arabic الْحَمْرَاء = Al-Ħamrā', literally "the red fort"; the complete name was الْقَلْعَةُ ٱلْحَمْرَاءُ = 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.

Alhambra

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Charles V palace in Alhambra
Location	Granada, Andalusia, Spain
Part of	Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
Criteria	Cultural: i, iii, iv
Reference	314-001
Inscription	1984 (8th Session)
Extensions	1994
Website	www.alhambradegranada.org
Coordinates	37°10′36″N 3°35′40″W
Location in Spain

Plan of the Palacio Arabe 1889

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

• 
  Patio of the palace of Charles V
• 
  Panoramic view
• 
  Panoramic view, illuminated at night
• 
  Mocárabes or honeycomb works
• 
  Lions Fontain
• 
  Court of the Lions
• 
  Court of the Lions
• 
  Detail looking up wall, Golden Room patio
• 
  Alhambra illuminated at night
• 
  The pool of the El Partal Palace
• 
  Light effects in the Court of Lions
• 
  Guests in the Comares Palace
• 
  Detail of a wall of the palacios nazaries
• Video walkthrough of the Alhambra - part 1
• Video walkthrough of the Alhambra - part 2
• Video walkthrough of the Alhambra - part 3

Other reading sources

• Jacobs, Michael; Fernández, Francisco (2009), Alhambra, Frances Lincoln, ISBN 978-0-7112-2518-3
• Fernández Puertas, Antonio (1997), The Alhambra. Vol 1: From the Ninth Century to Yusuf I (1354), Saqi Books, ISBN 0-86356-466-6
• Fernández Puertas, Antonio (1998), The Alhambra. Vol 2: (1354–1391), Saqi Books, ISBN 0-86356-467-4
• Fernández Puertas, Antonio (1999), The Alhambra. Vol 3: From 1391 to the Present Day, Saqi Books, ISBN 978-0-86356-589-2
• 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. ISBN 1-56691-529-5.
• lexicorient.com Archived 2015-02-18 at the Wayback Machine
• Stewart, Desmond. The Alhambra. Newsweek Publishing, 1974. ISBN 0-88225-088-4.
• The World Heritage. Istanbul and Cordoba, Vol. #15. Film Ideas, 2008. ISBN 1-57557-715-1.

Related pages

• Islamic architecture

References

• Lowney, Chris. A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc., 2005.

This article includes text from the public domain 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica. Please add to the article as needed.

Other websites

• Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife Archived 2010-08-20 at the Wayback Machine. 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 Archived 2008-03-10 at the Wayback Machine — Art in Islamic Spain
• Article about Alhambra as one of the 21 candidates shortlisted for the New7Wonders of the World Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine
• Alhambra in turgranada.es Archived 2009-02-13 at the Wayback Machine Official site for tourism of the province of Granada
• Photos of Alhambra Archived 2008-12-06 at the Wayback Machine
• Alhambra Architectural Review
• Photos and text at greatbuildings.com
• Alhambra - information on garden history and design Archived 2008-07-04 at the Wayback Machine
• Detailed study with photos of the Alhambra Granada Archived 2009-03-30 at the Wayback Machine
• Google maps satellite image
• Article with English translations of the poems on the walls of Alhambra Archived 2008-02-22 at the Wayback Machine*
• "The Alhambra". Architecture. Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2007-10-20.
• Washington Irving's Tales of the Alhambra Archived 2008-12-03 at the Wayback Machine
• Panoramic virtual tour of Alhambra Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine
• Large photo collection of the Alhambra and palaces