Alhambra

Nacho Noguerol Solera , Jose Emilio Molina Maldonado and Pablo Ramos.

The Alhambra, named for its reddish walls, is located at the top of the hill of al-Sabika, on the left bank of the Darro River, east of the city, opposite the Albaicin neighborhoods and the Alcazaba.

Its strategic position, from which dominates the city and the plain of Granada, suggests that there were build before the arrival of Muslims. Whole, completely walled, has an irregular shape bounded on the north by the valley of the Darro, to the south by the al-Sabika, and east of the Cuesta del Rey Chico, which in turn divide the Albaicin and Generalife located on the Cerro del Sol

There is evidence of it first in the ninth century, when SAWW 889 ben Hamdun took refuge in the Citadel and repair due to civil strife then whipped the Caliphate of Cordoba, Granada, to which he belonged. Subsequently, this compound began to widen and populated, but not to what would later, as the former monarchs Zirid they settled in qA despite the incorporation of the castle of the Alhambra to the walled city in the eleventh century , which turned it into a military stronghold from which overlooked the whole city, it was not until the thirteenth century with the arrival of the first monarch Nazari, Mohammed ben Al-Hamar (Mohammed I, 1238-1273) when the residence would be set real in the Alhambra. This marked the beginning of its heyday.

First reinforced the old part of the Fortress, and built the Torre de la Vela and the Tribute, he climbed Darro river water, were built warehouses, depots and began construction of the palace and the walls which continued Mohammed II (1273 -1302) and Mohamed III (1302-1309), which was also attributed to a public bath and the mosque was built on the present church of Santa Maria.

Yusuf I (1333-1353) and Muhammad V (1353-1391) we owe the vast majority of the buildings of the Alhambra that have reached our time. Since the reform of the Alcazaba and the palaces, through extension of the enclosure, the Gate of Justice, the enlargement and decoration of the towers, construction of the Baths and the Fourth of Comares, the Board of the boat until Patio of the Lions and their outbuildings. Of kings is not retained after Nazari virtually nothing.

From the time of the Catholic Monarchs until today we highlight the demolition of part of the architectural by Charles V to build the palace which bears his name, the construction of the rooms of the Emperor and the Queen Peinador and neglect conservation of the Alhambra from the eighteenth century. During the French domination was blown up part of the fortress and into the nineteenth century did not begin the repair, restoration

and conservation which lasts until now.