Definition of Alhambra

Known as one of the most beautiful cities where the Muslim presence is stronger across the West, the city of Alhambra is located in the Granada region, to the South of Spain. The Alhambra was long home to Muslim Emirs until the city fell to the Catholic Kings in the 15th century. However, Arab and Muslim influence remained deeply rooted and can be noticed until today especially in constructions and the urban site. The name Alhambra comes from the Arabic, meaning in this language "Red fortress". The Alhambra is not actually one city as any other if that is not an urban centre developed and established around a rich palace complex founded by the Emirs and Muslim sultans who lived south of the Iberian peninsula for centuries. The Alhambra was completed in the 14th century as one of the culmines of Muslim power that had already present in the region much earlier.
One of the most beautiful and impressive Alhambra is the fact that combines the elements of nature that surround it in a unique and particular way (through the parks, gardens and natural vegetation) with elements of the Muslim, rich in details and ornate architecture of shapes carved into the material. Thus, the Alhambra is one of the most clear examples of Muslim and Moorish art in the West, if not the most important. While the walls and ceilings have such surcharge of details that resemble stalactites in caves, arches have the typical forms of onion and columns as surfaces are also fully furnished with forms of vegetables, leaves and fruits.
The Alhambra Palace complex included several military, administrative and ceremonial buildings, as well as spaces of production, rest and repose, towers, etc. The Alhambra is today considered world heritage by UNESCO.