Alhambra

The most beautiful Islamic palace in Europe

The Alhambra is the 'red fortress' built in Spain by Muslim rulers 700 years ago. Inside are courtyards with fountains, the Fountain of the Lions (12 stone lions spouting water!) and halls with ceilings carved like honeycomb. The walls carry the words 'There is no victor but God' 10,000 times. Water flows everywhere, giving coolness in the heat.

The Alhambra ('the red one') is the palace-fortress of the Nasrid dynasty (1238–1492) in Granada, capital of the last Muslim state in Iberia. The Nasrid Palaces (14th century): the Court of the Lions — 124 marble columns and a fountain with 12 lions (which worked as a clock); the Hall of the Ambassadors — a ceiling of 8,000 wooden pieces (symbolising the 7 heavens); the Hall of the Two Sisters — a honeycomb ceiling of 5,000 muqarnas. The walls are covered in carved stucco (arabesques, calligraphy) and tiles — the Alhambra's patterns contain all 17 symmetry groups, a marvel for mathematicians. Water comes from the Darro River via a 6 km channel. In 1492 Boabdil surrendered the city to Ferdinand and Isabella — the end of the Reconquista. Washington Irving's 'Tales of the Alhambra' (1832) made it world-famous. UNESCO (1984); 2.7 million visitors a year.

Fun facts

• The Alhambra's patterns contain all 17 types of symmetry in mathematics.
• The Fountain of the Lions was a clock — a different lion spouted water each hour.
• One hall's ceiling has 8,000 wooden pieces — symbolising the 7 heavens.