The marvellous Alhambra thrones on top of Granada’ s hill Sabikah. This hilltop was initially settled by Moors in 711 BC as a refuge. Yet, hundreds of years later, it was the Muslim dynasty of the Nasrids that started the most glorious period in the history of the Alhambra. Their ruler Muhammad Ibn al-Ahmar was a true architectural and cultural pioneer. The Palace of the Lions, with its 500 square metre patio and its 124 pillars, is considered one of the greatest examples of Islamic art. The Nasrids ruled over the Alhambra for over 250 years, protected by 40.000 soldiers. Their reign ended
in 1492, when Isabella I of Castile and her husband Ferdinand II of Aragon succeeded in taking back
the Alhambra from the Muslims – the “ Reconquista”.