Origin from 1238
The Alhambra is a fortified palace and citadel complex above Granada, Spain, built chiefly under the Nasrid dynasty, the last Muslim rulers of Iberia, in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Its halls and courtyards are lined with muqarnas vaulting and carved stucco combining geometric, vegetal and calligraphic ornament, and its small palace oratory, the Mexuar, sits within the same citadel as the halls of state. A 2007 study of its geometric tiling identified decagonal, quasi-crystalline patterns in the Alhambra's ornament centuries before the formal mathematical description of such tilings in the West. After the completion of the Reconquista in 1492 the complex passed to the Catholic Monarchs, who preserved most of its Islamic fabric while adding new structures of their own, including the Renaissance Palace of Charles V.
Facts
Geography
LatitudeApproximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement. LongitudeApproximate reference point, rounded to one decimal place; this marks the site's general location for a map, not a survey-grade or precise boundary measurement. Site
Type of SitePalace with a sanctuary 1 A royal palace and citadel containing its own small oratory, the Mexuar, rather than a free-standing mosque or shrine. Type of Site DetailFortified Islamic palace and citadel complex whose halls carry a small palace oratory amid Nasrid geometric ornament. 2 Status
Status TodayStanding, but maintained as a museum or heritage monument 1 UNESCO World HeritageInscribed on the World Heritage List 1 Origins
Origin Period History
Historical NoteIts geometric tiling was analysed in a 2007 peer reviewed study (Lu and Steinhardt, Science) as employing decagonal and quasi-crystalline patterns of a kind not formally described in Western mathematics until the twentieth century. 4 Location
Connections
Associated With
This source names Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor directly: "including the Renaissance Palace of Charles V."
Source UNESCO World Heritage ListUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Source The Topkapi Scroll: Geometry and Ornament in Islamic ArchitectureGulru Necipoglu
Belongs to Tradition
Source UNESCO World Heritage ListUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Contained In
Its own text: "a fortified palace and citadel complex above Granada, Spain."
Source UNESCO World Heritage ListUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Originated In
Source UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
In the Other Atlases
Located In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is located.
Sources
1. UNESCO World Heritage List
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO World Heritage CentreView the Source 2. Encyclopaedia Britannica (online academic reference)
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., 2024View the Source 3. Alhambra (Wikipedia)
Lead section: origin-period-start-year
The building of the complex was begun in 1238 CE by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir and founder of the Emirate of Granada, the last Muslim state of al-Andalus.
Lead
The building of the complex was begun in 1238 CE
View the Source4. Decagonal and Quasi-Crystalline Tilings in Medieval Islamic Architecture
Peter J. Lu and Paul J. Steinhardt, Science 315, pp. 1106-1110, 2007View the Source UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
UNESCO World Heritage CentreOriginated In: Spain, Record textQuote, Originated In: Spain, Record text
To the east of the Alhambra fortress and residence are the magnificent gardens of the Generalife, the former rural residence of the emirs who ruled this part of Spain in the 13th and 14th centuries.
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