The Alhambra

For over a thousand years, the Alhambra has stood through various reincarnations as a fortress, a palace, a royal court, a fading ruin, and now, a world heritage site.  The Alhambra retains different facets of its history resulting in a stunning mix of architectural styles and designs.  We took a lot of pictures, but here are our highlights.

The Alhambra overlooking Granada below. 

The Alcazaba is the oldest part of the complex and has great views of Granada and the Sierra Mountains from its towers. 

"Al-hambra" means "red" in Arabic and the Alcazaba's walls display the reddish hue.

The Palacio de Carlos V used to hold bullfights, but now contains tamer things like museums.  Part of the Nazrid Palaces was destroyed to make room for this, which is a big shame because... 

...this is the Nazrid Palaces.

The Patio de los Leones is full of space, light, and a lion fountain in the middle.

A close up of the lion fountain. 

Floor to ceiling, nothing is left unadorned.

Heading out of the palace, past a sprawling reflection pool and onto... 

...the beautiful Generalife, home to the summer gardens of the sultans.

Take a stroll through arches of roses... 

...or play hide and seek in the hedges.