Editing Alhambra (section)

==History==
=== Origins and early history ===
[[File:Aa old gateway across rio darro in albaicin in granada.jpg|thumb|Remains of the ''Puente del Cadí'' (formerly ''Bāb al-Difāf''), an 11th-century Zirid fortification that enabled soldiers on the Sabika hill to access the river during times of siege]]
The evidence for a Roman presence is unclear but archaeologists have found remains of ancient foundations on the Sabika hill.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=293}} A fortress or citadel, probably dating from the Visigothic period, existed on the hill in the 9th century.<ref name=":24"/> The first reference to the ''Qal‘at al-Ḥamra'' was during the battles between the Arabs and the [[Muwallad|Muladies]] during the rule of [[Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Umawi|‘Abdallah ibn Muhammad]] (r. 888–912). According to surviving documents from the era, the red castle was quite small, and its walls were not capable of deterring an army intent on conquering. The first reference to ''{{transliteration|ar|ALA-LC|al-Ḥamrāʼ&nbsp;}}'' came in lines of poetry attached to an arrow shot over the ramparts, recorded by [[Ibn Hayyan]] (d. 1076):
<poem>"Deserted and roofless are the houses of our enemies;
  Invaded by the autumnal rains, traversed by impetuous winds;
Let them within the red castle (Kalat al hamra) hold their mischievous councils;
  Perdition and woe surround them on every side."<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Calvert |first1=Albert Frederick |url=https://archive.org/details/granadapresentby00calvrich |title=Granada, present and bygone |last2=Hartley |first2=C. Gasquoine (Catherine Gasquoine) |date=1908 |publisher=London : J. M. Dent & co. |others=University of California Libraries}}</ref></poem>

At the beginning of the 11th century, the region of Granada was dominated by the Zirids, a [[Sanhaja]] [[Berbers|Berber]] group and offshoot of the [[Zirid dynasty|Zirids]] who ruled parts of [[North Africa]]. When the [[Caliphate of Córdoba]] collapsed after 1009 and the [[Fitna of al-Andalus|Fitna (civil war)]] began, the Zirid leader [[Zawi ben Ziri]] established an independent kingdom for himself, the [[Taifa of Granada]].<ref name=":05222"/> The Zirids built their citadel and palace, known as the ''al-Qaṣaba al-Qadīma'' ("Old Citadel" or "Old Palace"), on the hill now occupied by the [[Albaicín]] neighbourhood.<ref name=":05222"/><ref name=":24"/> It was connected to two other fortresses on the Sabika and Mauror hills to the south.<ref name=":24"/> On the [[Darro (river)|Darro River]], between the Zirid citadel and the Sabika hill, was a [[Sluice|sluice gate]] called ''Bāb al-Difāf'' ("Gate of the Tambourines"),{{efn|The gate is known today as the ''Puente del Cadí'' ("Bridge of the [[Qadi]]") or the ''Puerta de los Tableros'' ("Gate of the Boards"), and all that remains of it is one of its hexagonal towers with fragments of its large [[horseshoe arch]]way.{{Sfn|Rėklaitytė|2021|pp=443–445}}<ref name=":24" />}} which could be closed to retain water if needed.{{Sfn|Rėklaitytė|2021|pp=443–445}}{{Sfn|Rodgers|Cavendish|2021|p=21}} This gate was part of the fortification connecting the Zirid citadel with the fortress on the Sabika hill and it also formed part of a ''coracha'' (from Arabic ''qawraja''), a type of fortification allowing soldiers from the fortress to access the river and bring back water even during times of siege.{{Sfn|Rėklaitytė|2021|pp=443–445}} The Sabika hill fortress, also known as ''al-Qasaba al-Jadida'' ("the New Citadel"), was later used for the foundations of the current [[Alcazaba of the Alhambra|Alcazaba]] of the Alhambra.<ref name=":24"/>{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=149}}{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=81, 293}} Under the Zirid kings [[Habbus al-Muzaffar|Habbus ibn Maksan]] and [[Badis ibn Habus|Badis]], the most powerful figure in the kingdom was the [[Jews|Jewish]] administrator known as [[Samuel ibn Naghrillah|Samuel ha-Nagid]] (in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]) or Isma'il ibn Nagrilla (in Arabic).<ref name=":4">{{Cite book |last=Catlos |first=Brian A. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xKBfDwAAQBAJ&dq=kingdoms+of+faith&pg=PP1 |title=Kingdoms of Faith: A New History of Islamic Spain |publisher=Basic Books |year=2018 |isbn=9780465055876 |location=New York |pages=216–220 |access-date=17 November 2021 |archive-date=17 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117192241/https://books.google.com/books?id=xKBfDwAAQBAJ&dq=kingdoms+of+faith&pg=PP1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Samuel built his own palace on the Sabika hill, possibly on the site of the current palaces, although nothing remains of it. It reportedly included gardens and water features.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=149}}{{Efn|A 1956 theory by Frederick Bargebuhr<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Bargebuhr |first=Frederick P. |date=1956 |title=The Alhambra Palace of the Eleventh Century |journal=Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes |volume=19 |issue=3–4 |pages=192–258 |doi=10.2307/750296 |jstor=750296 |s2cid=190612778}}</ref> that the lion sculptures in the current [[Court of the Lions]] came from Samuel's palace has since been challenged and refuted by other scholars.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Scheindlin |first=Raymond P. |date=1993–1994 |title=El poema de Ibn Gabirol y la fuente de los leones |journal=Cuadernos de la Alhambra |volume=29–30 |pages=185–190}}</ref>{{Sfn|Ruggles|2000|pp=164–167}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=283}}}}

=== Nasrid period ===
[[File:Detalle_de_la_pared_de_la_Sala_del_Mexuar._La_Alhambra,_Granada.«Sólo_Dios_es_vencedor».JPG|thumb|[[Islamic calligraphy]] in the [[Mexuar]] Hall: {{lang|ar|و لا غالب إلا الله}}, "[[Wala ghaliba illa Allah|There is no victor but God]]", a motto used by the Nasrid dynasty{{Sfn|Dickie|1992|p=139}}]]
The period of the [[Taifa|Taifa kingdoms]], during which the Zirids ruled, came to an end with the conquest of [[al-Andalus]] by the [[Almoravid dynasty|Almoravids]] from North Africa during the late 11th century. In the mid-12th century they were followed by the [[Almohad Caliphate|Almohads]]. After 1228 Almohad rule collapsed and local rulers and factions emerged again across the territory of Al-Andalus.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|pp=265–267}} With the ''[[Reconquista]]'' in full swing, the Christian kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Castile|Castile]] and [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragon]] – under kings [[Ferdinand III of Castile|Ferdinand III]] and [[James I of Aragon|James I]], respectively – made major conquests across al-Andalus. Castile captured [[Siege of Córdoba (1236)|Cordoba in 1236]] and [[Siege of Seville|Seville in 1248]]. Meanwhile, [[Muhammad I of Granada|Ibn al-Ahmar]] (Muhammad I) established what became the last and longest reigning [[Muslim]] dynasty in the Iberian peninsula, the [[Nasrid dynasty|Nasrids]], who ruled the [[Emirate of Granada]].<ref name=":82">{{cite book |last=Bosworth |first=Clifford Edmund |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mKpz_2CkoWEC&q=new+islamic+dynasties |title=The New Islamic Dynasties: A Chronological and Genealogical Manual |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |year=2004 |isbn=9780748696482 |location= |pages= |chapter=The Nasrids or Banu 'l-Ahmar |access-date=17 November 2021 |archive-date=3 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903085645/https://books.google.com/books?id=mKpz_2CkoWEC&q=new+islamic+dynasties |url-status=live }}</ref> Ibn al-Ahmar was a relatively new political player in the region and likely came from a modest background, but he was able to win the support and consent of multiple Muslim settlements under threat from the Castilian advance.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|pp=266, 274–276}}

Upon settling in Granada in 1238, Ibn al-Ahmar initially resided in the old citadel of the Zirids on the Albaicin hill, but that same year he began construction of the Alhambra as a new residence and citadel.<ref name=":05222" /><ref name=":24" /> According to an Arabic manuscript since published as the ''Anónimo de Madrid y Copenhague'',{{Sfn|López|2011|p=39}} 
{{blockquote|This year, 1238 Abdallah ibn al-Ahmar climbed to the place called "the Alhambra". He examined it, marked the foundations of a castle and left someone in charge of directing the work, and before that year had passed, the construction of the ramparts was completed; water was brought in from the river and a channel carrying the water was built (...)|source=|author=}}

During the reign of the Nasrid Dynasty, the Alhambra was transformed into a palatine city, complete with an irrigation system composed of [[Aqueduct (water supply)|aqueducts]] and water channels that provided water for the complex and for other nearby countryside palaces such as the [[Generalife]].{{sfn|López|2011|pp=239–257}}<ref name=":9" /> Previously, the old fortresses on the hill had been dependent on rainwater collected from the cistern near the Alcazaba and on what could be brought up from the Darro River below.<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last=Martín |first=Adelaida Martín |date=2019 |title=A New Architectural Approach to the Alcazaba and the Torre del Homenaje |url=https://cuadernosdelaalhambra.alhambra-patronato.es/index.php/cdalhambra/issue/view/1 |journal=Cuadernos de la Alhambra |volume=48 |pages=175–199 |access-date=11 April 2022 |archive-date=28 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228183424/http://cuadernosdelaalhambra.alhambra-patronato.es/index.php/cdalhambra/issue/view/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> The creation of the Sultan's Canal ({{Langx|ar|ساقلتة السلطان |translit=Saqiyat al-Sultan|links=no}}), which brought water from the mountains to the east, solidified the identity of the Alhambra as a palace-city rather than a defensive and [[ascetic]] structure. This first hydraulic system was expanded afterwards and included two long water channels and several sophisticated elevation devices to bring water onto the plateau.<ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last=García-Pulido |first=Luis José |date=2016-06-20 |title=The Mastery in Hydraulic Techniques for Water Supply at the Alhambra |url=https://academic.oup.com/jis/article/27/3/355/2458957 |journal=Journal of Islamic Studies |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=355–382 |doi=10.1093/jis/etw016 |issn=0955-2340 |access-date=19 November 2018 |archive-date=19 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181119220227/https://academic.oup.com/jis/article/27/3/355/2458957 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The only elements preserved from the time of Ibn al-Ahmar are some of the fortification walls, particularly the Alcazaba at the western end of the complex.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=236}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=152}} Ibn al-Ahmar did not have time to complete any major new palaces and he may have initially lived in one of the towers of the Alcazaba, before later moving to a modest house on the site of the current [[Palace of Charles V]].{{Sfn|Cabanelas Rodríguez|1992|p=129}} Later Nasrid rulers after Ibn al-Ahmar continuously modified the site. Along with the fragile materials themselves, which needed regular repairs, this makes the exact chronology of its development difficult to determine.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|pp=152–153}}{{Sfn|Ruggles|2008}}

[[File:Partal Alto DSCF7876.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.8|Present-day remains of the ''[[Palacio del Partal Alto]]'', a palace likely built by [[Muhammad II of Granada|Muhammad II]] (r. 1273–1302)]]
The oldest major palace for which some remains have been preserved is the structure known as the ''[[Palacio del Partal Alto]]'', in an elevated location near the centre of the complex, which probably dates from the reign of Ibn al-Ahmar's son, [[Muhammad II of Granada|Muhammad II]] (r. 1273–1302).''{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=236}}'' To the south was the Palace of the Abencerrajes, and to the east was another private palace, known as the [[Palace of the Convent of San Francisco]]'',{{Efn|Named after the Convent of Saint Francis which was installed here in 1494.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=180–184}}}}'' both of which were probably also originally constructed during the time of Muhammad II''.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=236}}'' [[Muhammad III of Granada|Muhammad III]] (r. 1302–1309) erected the [[Partal Palace]], parts of which are still standing today, as well as the Alhambra's main ([[Congregational mosque|congregational]]) mosque (on the site of the current Church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra).''{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=236}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=152}}'' The Partal Palace is the earliest known palace to be built along the northern walls of the complex, with views onto the city below.''{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=236}}'' It is also the oldest Nasrid palace still standing today.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |title=The Partal |url=https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en/edificios-lugares/the-partal |access-date=2020-11-28 |website=Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife |language=en-US |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129154039/https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en/edificios-lugares/the-partal |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Ismail I of Granada|Isma'il I]] (r. 1314–1325) undertook a significant remodelling of the Alhambra. His reign marked the beginning of the "classical" period of Nasrid architecture, during which many major monuments in the Alhambra were begun and decorative styles were consolidated.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=261}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=295}}<ref name=":24" /> Isma'il decided to build a new palace complex just east of the Alcazaba to serve as the official palace of the sultan and the state, known as the ''Qaṣr al-Sultan'' or ''Dār al-Mulk''.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=261}} The core of this complex was the [[Court of the Myrtles|Comares Palace]], while another wing of the palace, the [[Mexuar]], extended to the west.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=236–238}} The Comares Baths are the best-preserved element from this initial construction, as the rest of the palace was further modified by his successors. Near the main mosque Isma'il I also created the ''Rawda'', the dynastic mausoleum of the Nasrids, of which only partial remains are preserved.''{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=236}}'' [[Yusuf I of Granada|Yusuf I]] (r. 1333–1354) carried out further work on the Comares Palace, including the construction of the Hall of Ambassadors and other works around the current Mexuar. He also built the Alhambra's main gate, the ''Puerta de la Justicia'', and the ''[[Torre de la Cautiva]]'', one of several small towers with richly-decorated rooms along the northern walls.''{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=236, 266, 269, 275}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=152}}''

[[File:Court of the Lions, Alhambra by Juan Laurent.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|The [[Court of the Lions]] in 1871. This palace, still preserved today, was built during the second reign of [[Muhammad V of Granada|Muhammad V]] (1362–1391).]]
[[Muhammad V of Granada|Muhammad V]]'s reign (1354–1391, with interruptions) marked the political and cultural apogee of the Nasrid emirate as well as the apogee of Nasrid architecture.{{Sfn|Kennedy|1996|pp=288–292}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=164}} Particularly during his second reign (after 1362), there was a stylistic shift towards more innovative architectural layouts and an extensive use of complex ''[[muqarnas]]'' vaulting.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=164}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=295}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=278–279}} His most significant contribution to the Alhambra was the construction of the [[Court of the Lions|Palace of the Lions]] to the east of the Comares Palace in an area previously occupied by gardens. He also remodelled the Mexuar, created the highly decorated "Comares Façade" in the ''Patio del Cuarto Dorado'', and redecorated the Court of the Myrtles, giving these areas much of their final appearance.''{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=236, 265, 269, 273}}''

After Muhammad V, relatively little major construction work occurred in the Alhambra. One exception is the ''Torre de las Infantas'', which dates from the time of [[Muhammad VII of Granada|Muhammad VII]] (1392–1408).''{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=236}}'' The 15th century saw the Nasrid dynasty in decline and in turmoil, with few significant construction projects and a more repetitive, less innovative style of architecture.''{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=152, 164}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=295}}''

=== ''Reconquista'' and Christian Spanish period ===
The last Nasrid sultan, [[Muhammad XII of Granada]], surrendered the Emirate of Granada in January 1492, without the Alhambra itself being attacked, when the forces of the [[Catholic Monarchs of Spain|Catholic Monarchs]], King [[Ferdinand II of Aragon]] and Queen [[Isabella I of Castile]], took the surrounding territory with a force of overwhelming numbers. Muhammad XII moved the remains of his ancestors from the complex, as was verified by [[Leopoldo Torres Balbás]] in 1925, when he found seventy empty tombs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://granadaonly.com/en/historic/alhambra-sultans-their-tombs/ |title=Alhambra sultans: Their tombs |date=5 April 2019 |access-date=18 June 2020 |archive-date=20 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200620235028/https://granadaonly.com/en/historic/alhambra-sultans-their-tombs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The remains are now likely to be located in Mondújar in the principality of [[Lecrín]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ciceronegranada.com/en/blog/alhambras-monarchs-buried/ |title=Where are the Alhambra's monarchs buried? |date=21 August 2017 |access-date=18 June 2020 |archive-date=17 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200617110828/https://www.ciceronegranada.com/en/blog/alhambras-monarchs-buried/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>The Moor's Last Stand: How Seven Centuries of Muslim Rule in Spain Came to an End, [[Elizabeth Drayson]]</ref>

After the conquest, the Alhambra became a royal palace and property of the [[Monarchy of Spain|Spanish Crown]]. Isabella and Ferdinand initially took up residence here and stayed in Granada for several months, up until 25 May 1492.{{Sfn|Vincent|2021|p=168}} It was during this stay that two major events happened. On 31 March the monarchs signed the [[Alhambra Decree]], which ordered the [[Expulsion of Jews from Spain|expulsion of all Jews in Spain]] who refused to convert.{{Sfn|Coleman|2013|p=38}}{{Sfn|Vincent|2021|p=168}} [[Christopher Columbus]], who had also been present to witness the surrender of Granada, presented his plans for an [[Voyages of Christopher Columbus|expedition across the Atlantic]] to the monarchs in the Hall of Ambassadors and on 17 April they signed the contract which set the terms for the expedition which landed in the [[Americas]] later that year.{{Sfn|Vincent|2021|p=168}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|pp=1, 16–17}}

[[File:La Alzaba de la Alhambra 17.JPG|thumb|The ''Torre de la Polvóra'' at the Alcazaba, an example of a tower reinforced with curved ramparts in the 16th century to better defend against modern artillery{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=91–92}}|left]]
The new Christian rulers began to make additions and alterations to the palace complex. The governorship of the Alhambra was entrusted to the Tendilla family, who were given one of the Nasrid palaces, the ''Palacio del Partal Alto'' (near the Partal Palace), to use as family residence. [[Íñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones|Iñigo López de Mendoza y Quiñones]] (d. 1515), the second [[Count]] of [[Tendilla]], was present in Ferdinand II's entourage when Muhammad XII surrendered the keys to the Alhambra and he became the Alhambra's first Spanish governor.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=297–298}} For almost 24 years after the conquest, he made repairs and modifications to its fortifications in order to better protect it against [[Artillery|gunpowder artillery]] attacks. Multiple towers and fortifications – such as the ''Torre de Siete Suelos'', the ''Torre de las Cabezas'', and the ''Torres Bermejas'' – were built or reinforced in this period, as seen by the addition of semi-round [[bastion]]s.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=297–298}} In 1512 the Count was also awarded the property of [[Mondéjar]] and subsequently passed on the title of [[Marquess|Marquis]] of Mondéjar to his descendants.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=297–298}}

[[File:Granada. Alhambra. Palacio Carlos V LCCN2017660754.jpg|thumb|The Renaissance-style [[Palace of Charles V]], begun in 1527 but left unfinished after 1637. This 1890 photograph shows the roof still missing over the upper floor.]]
[[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] (r. 1516–1556) visited the Alhambra in 1526 with his wife [[Isabella of Portugal]] and decided to convert it into a royal residence for his use. He rebuilt or modified portions of the Nasrid palaces to serve as royal apartments, a process which began in 1528 and was completed in 1537.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=149–159}}{{Sfn|Dickie|1992|p=146}} He also demolished a part of the Comares Palace to make way for a monumental new palace, known as the Palace of Charles V, designed in the [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance style]] of the period. Construction of the palace began in 1527 but it was eventually left unfinished after 1637.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=69–70}}

The governorship of the Tendilla-Mondéjar family came to an end in 1717–1718, when [[Philip V of Spain|Philip V]] confiscated the family's properties in the Alhambra and dismissed the Marquis of Mondéjar, José de Mendoza Ibáñez de Segovia (1657–1734), from his position as mayor (''alcaide'') of the Alhambra, in retaliation for the Marquis opposing him in the [[War of the Spanish Succession]].{{Sfnm|López|2011|1p=299|Dickie|1992|2pp=148–149}} The departure of the Tendilla-Mondéjar family marked the beginning of the Alhambra's most severe period of decline. During this period the Spanish state dedicated few resources to it and its management was taken over by self-interested local governors who lived with their families inside the neglected palaces.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=299}}

Over subsequent years the Alhambra was further damaged. Between 1810 and 1812 Granada was occupied by [[Napoleon]]'s army during the [[Peninsular War]].{{sfn|RingSalkinLa Boda|1995|p=298}} The French troops, under the command of [[Count Sebastiani]],<ref name="Chisholm">{{harvp|Chisholm|1911}}</ref> occupied the Alhambra as a fortified position and caused significant damage to the monument.{{sfn|López|2011|p=301}} Upon evacuating the city, they attempted to dynamite the whole complex to prevent it from being re-used as a fortified position. They successfully blew up eight towers before the remaining fuses were disabled by Spanish soldier José Garcia, whose actions saved what remains today.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=301}} In 1821, an earthquake caused further damage.<ref name="Chisholm" /> In the early 19th century, the site was described as being occupied by prisoners, [[disabled]] soldiers and other marginalized people.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=302}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=66}}

=== Recovery and modern restorations ===
[[File:Weeks Edwin Lord A Court in The Alhambra in the Time of the Moors.jpg|thumb|''A Court in the Alhambra at the Time of the Moors'', Edwin Lord Weeks, 1876|left]]
As early as the second half of the 18th century, the Alhambra's appearance and details began to be documented by Spanish illustrators and officials.{{Sfn|Eldem|2024|p=|pp=23–24}} By the first decade of the 19th century, other European writers began to bring attention to it{{Sfn|Eldem|2024|p=|pp=22–25}} and the site subsequently became an object of fascination for Western [[Romanticism|Romanticist]] writers, whose publications frequently sought to evoke a contrast between the ornate architecture of the former Moorish palaces and their current state of ruin and neglect.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=302}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=|pp=139, 145}} This also coincided with a growing European interest in the [[Orient]] ([[Orientalism|Orientialism]]), which encouraged an emphasis on [[exoticism]] and on the "oriental" attributes of the Alhambra.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=302}}{{Sfn|Eldem|2024|p=|pp=48–54}} This rediscovery of the Alhambra was led mostly by French, British, and German writers.{{Sfn|Eldem|2024|p=22}} In 1830, the American writer [[Washington Irving]] lived in Granada and wrote his ''[[Tales of the Alhambra]]'', first published in 1832, which played a major role in spurring international interest in southern Spain and in its Islamic-era monuments like the Alhambra.{{sfn|RingSalkinLa Boda|1995|p=298}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=303}} Other artists and intellectuals, such as [[John Frederick Lewis]], [[Richard Ford (English writer)|Richard Ford]], [[François-René de Chateaubriand]], and [[Owen Jones (architect)|Owen Jones]], helped make the Alhambra into an icon of the era with their writings and illustrations during the 19th century.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=303}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=|pp=144–157, 164–167}}{{Sfn|Eldem|2024|p=|pp=26–35}}
[[File:-Courtyard of the Lions, Alhambra, Granada- MET DP366396.jpg|thumb|Pavilion in the Court of the Lions in 19th-century photo, showing the "oriental" dome added by Rafael Contreras in 1859, later removed by [[Leopoldo Torres Balbás]]]]
Restoration work on the Alhambra was undertaken in 1828 by the architect José Contreras, endowed in 1830 by [[Ferdinand VII of Spain|Ferdinand VII]]. After the death of Contreras in 1847, it was continued by his son Rafael (died 1890) and his grandson Mariano Contreras (died 1912).<ref name="Chisholm" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Alhambra {{!}} Palace, Fortress, Facts, Map, & Pictures {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alhambra-fortress-Granada-Spain |access-date=2022-02-25 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129174214/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alhambra-fortress-Granada-Spain |url-status=live }}</ref> The Contreras family members continued to be the most important architects and conservators of the Alhambra up until 1907.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=304–305}} During this period, they generally followed a theory of "stylistic restoration", which favoured the construction and addition of elements to make a monument "complete" but not necessarily corresponding to any historical reality. They added elements which they deemed to be representative of what they thought was an "Arabic style", emphasizing the Alhambra's purported "[[Orientalism|Oriental]]" character. For example, in 1858–1859 Rafael Contreras and Juan Pugnaire added Persian-looking spherical domes to the Court of the Lions and to the northern [[portico]] of the Court of the Myrtles, even though these had nothing to do with Nasrid architecture.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=304–305}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|pp=30–31}}

In 1868, a [[Glorious Revolution (Spain)|revolution deposed Isabella II]] and the government seized the properties of the Spanish monarchy, including the Alhambra. In 1870 the Alhambra was declared a [[National monuments of Spain|National Monument]] of Spain and the state allocated a budget for its conservation, overseen by the Provincial Commission of Monuments.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=305}} Mariano Contreras, the last of the Contreras architects to serve as director of conservation of the Alhambra, was appointed as architectural curator in April 1890. His tenure was controversial and his conservation strategy attracted criticism from other authorities.<ref name=":10">{{Cite web |title=Mariano Contreras Granja {{!}} Real Academia de la Historia |url=https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/44265/mariano-contreras-granja |access-date=2022-02-25 |website=dbe.rah.es |archive-date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225210400/https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/44265/mariano-contreras-granja |url-status=live }}</ref> In September 1890, a fire destroyed a large part of the ''Sala de la Barca'' in the Comares Palace, which highlighted the site's vulnerability.<ref name=":10" />{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=303–304}} A report was commissioned in 1903. This resulted in the creation of a "Special Commission" in 1905. The Special Commission was tasked  to oversee conservation and restoration of the Alhambra. The commission ultimately failed to exercise control due to friction with Contreras.<ref name=":10" />{{Sfn|López|2011|p=|pp=304–305}} In 1907, Mariano Contreras was replaced with Modesto Cendoya, whose work was also criticized. Cendoya began many excavations in search of new artifacts but often left these works unfinished. He restored some important elements of the site, like the water supply system, but neglected others.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |last=Ruggles |first=D. Fairchild |title=Envisioning Islamic Art and Architecture: Essays in Honor of Renata Holod |publisher=Brill |year=2014 |isbn=978-90-04-28028-1 |editor-last=Roxburgh |editor-first=David J. |pages=1–21 |chapter=Inventing the Alhambra}}</ref>{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=304–305}}<ref name=":12">{{Cite web |title=Modesto Tiburcio Cendoya Busquets {{!}} Real Academia de la Historia |url=https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/47303/modesto-tiburcio-cendoya-busquets |access-date=2022-02-25 |website=dbe.rah.es |archive-date=25 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220225210402/https://dbe.rah.es/biografias/47303/modesto-tiburcio-cendoya-busquets |url-status=live }}</ref> Due to continued friction with Cendoya, the Special Commission was dissolved in 1913 and replaced with the council (''Patronato'') of the Alhambra in 1914, which was charged again with overseeing the site's conservation and Cendoya's work. In 1915, it was linked directly to the Directorate-General of Fine Arts of the Ministry of Public Education (later the Ministry of National Education).<ref name=":12" /><ref name=":11" />{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=304–305}} Like Mariano Contreras before him, Cendoya continued to clash with the supervisory body and to obstruct their control. He was eventually dismissed from his post in 1923.<ref name=":12" />
{{multiple image
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| image1      = Alhambra before adornments started.jpg
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| image2      = Alhambra, Alcazaba, Torre Quebrada 01 (4392663424).jpg
| alt2        = 21st century
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| footer      = The Alcazaba before and after 20th-century restoration work (view of the ''Torre Quebrada'')
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After Cendoya, [[Leopoldo Torres Balbás]] was appointed as chief architect from 1923 to 1936. The appointment of Torres Balbás, a trained [[Archaeology|archaeologist]] and [[Art history|art historian]], marked a definitive shift to a more scientific and systematic approach to the Alhambra's conservation.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=304–305}}<ref name=":12" /> He endorsed the principles of the 1931 [[Athens Charter (preservation)|Athens Charter for the Restoration of Monuments]], which emphasized regular maintenance, respect for the work of the past, legal protection for heritage monuments, and the legitimacy of modern techniques and materials in restoration so long as these were visually recognizable.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=304–305}} Many of the buildings in the Alhambra were affected by his work. Some of the inaccurate changes and additions made by the Contreras architects were reversed.{{sfn|López|2011|pp=135, 142}}{{sfn|Irwin|2004|p=30}} The young architect "opened arcades that had been walled up, re-excavated filled-in pools, replaced missing tiles, completed inscriptions that lacked portions of their stuccoed lettering, and installed a ceiling in the still unfinished palace of Charles V".<ref>Roxburgh, David J. (ed.) (2014). ''Envisioning Islamic Art and Architecture''. Brill. {{ISBN|9789004280281}}, pp. 18–19.</ref> He also carried out systematic archaeological excavations in various parts of the Alhambra, unearthing lost Nasrid structures such as the ''Palacio del Partal Alto'' and the Palace of the Abencerrajes which provided deeper insight into the former palace-city as a whole.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=304–305}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=237–239}}

The work of Torres Balbás was continued by his assistant, Francisco Prieto Moreno, who was the chief architectural curator from 1936 to 1970.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=304–306}} In 1940, a new Council of the Alhambra was created to oversee the site, which has remained in charge ever since.{{Efn|The Council was known as the "Council of the Alhambra and of the Palace of Charles V" until 1951, when it became known as the "Council of the Alhambra and the Generalife".{{sfn|López|2011|p=307}}}} In 1984 the central government in [[Madrid]] transferred responsibility for the site to the [[Regional Government of Andalusia]] and in 1986 new statutes and documents were developed to regulate the planning and protection of the site.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=306–307}} In 1984 the Alhambra and Generalife were also listed as a [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Site]].<ref name="UNESCO" /> The Alhambra is now one of the most popular tourist destinations in Spain. Research, archaeological investigations, and restoration works have also remained ongoing into the 21st century.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|pp=153-155}}