Founded in 1238 by Muhammad I and expanded by Yusuf I and Muhammad V, the Alhambra’s Comares and Lions palaces embody Nasrid refinement—muqarnas vaults, tilework, and water courts—later altered after 1492. Romantic rediscovery in the 19th century led to 20th–21st‑century conservation and UNESCO listing (1984).
The Alhambra functioned as a fortified palatine city with mosques, baths, workshops, and residences. Refuge and legitimacy intertwined as Granada became the last Muslim polity in Iberia.
Comares, with the Court of the Myrtles and the Hall of the Ambassadors, projects serene authority through reflective pools and intricate stucco. The later Lions Palace centers on a lace‑like arcade and a fountain borne by twelve lions, embedding cosmopolitan symbolism in marble.
Muqarnas vaults, epigraphic bands, and geometric tiles stage a choreography of light and shadow. Hydraulic ingenuity channels Darro waters across courts and gardens; the Generalife extends the poetic dialogue of shade, breeze, and water.
Post‑1492 conversions, insertions (notably Charles V’s palace), and neglect transformed the complex until Washington Irving’s 1829 sojourn stirred global fascination.
From early restorations to modern climate‑monitoring, conservation strives for authenticity while managing high visitation. UNESCO inscribed the Alhambra, Generalife, and Albaicín in 1984.
