Editing Granada (section)

====Alhambra====
{{Main|Alhambra}}
[[File:Nasrid Palaces, Alhambra, Granada (Spain).jpg|thumb|''[[Muqarnas]]'' ceiling in the Palace of the Lions, one of the Nasrid palaces]]
The Alhambra is a fortified palace complex located on the Sabika hill, an outcrop of the Sierra Nevada which overlooks the city of Granada. It is one of the most famous monuments of [[Islamic architecture]] and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic [[Muslim world|Islamic world]], in addition to containing notable examples of Spanish [[Renaissance architecture]].<ref name="UNESCO">{{cite web |title=Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/314 |access-date=13 January 2013 |work=World Heritage List |publisher=UNESCO |archive-date=27 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527031642/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/314 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=151}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=234}} It is one of Spain's major tourist attractions and a [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site]] since 1984.<ref name="UNESCO" />

The complex was begun in 1238 by Muhammad{{nbsp}}I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir, on the site of earlier fortresses and of the 11th-century palace of vizier Samuel ibn Naghrillah.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=234}}<ref name=":05222" /><ref name=":24" /> Later Nasrid rulers continuously modified the site, most notably during the reigns of Yusuf{{nbsp}}I and Muhammad{{nbsp}}V in the 14th century.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=152}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=234–237}} During this era, the Alhambra was a self-contained city separate from the rest of Granada below.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=152}} It contained most of the amenities of a Muslim city such as a [[Congregational mosque|Friday mosque]], [[hammam]]s (public baths), roads, houses, artisan workshops, a [[Tanning (leather)|tannery]], and a sophisticated water supply system.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=201–215}}<ref name=":05223">{{Cite book |last=Ruggles |first=D. Fairchild |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three |publisher=Brill |year=2008 |isbn=9789004161658 |editor-last=Fleet |editor-first=Kate |location= |pages= |language=en |chapter=Alhambra |editor-last2=Krämer |editor-first2=Gudrun |editor-last3=Matringe |editor-first3=Denis |editor-last4=Nawas |editor-first4=John |editor-last5=Rowson |editor-first5=Everett }}</ref> As a royal city and citadel, it contained at least six major palaces, most of them located along the northern edge where they commanded views over the [[Albaicín]] quarter.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=152}} The most famous and best-preserved are the [[Mexuar]], the Comares Palace, the Palace of the Lions, and the [[Partal Palace]], which form the main attraction to visitors today. The other palaces are known from historical sources and from modern excavations.{{Sfn|López|2011}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017}} At the Alhambra's western tip is the [[Alcazaba of the Alhambra|Alcazaba fortress]], the centerpiece of its defensive system. The architecture of the Nasrid palaces reflects the tradition of [[Moorish architecture]] developed over previous centuries.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017}} Decoration is focused on the inside of the building and was executed primarily with [[Zellij|tile mosaics]] on lower walls and carved [[stucco]] on the upper walls. [[Islamic geometric patterns|Geometric patterns]], [[Arabesque|vegetal motifs]], and [[Islamic calligraphy|Arabic calligraphy]] were the main types of decorative motifs. Additionally, "stalactite"-like sculpting, known as ''[[muqarnas]]'', was used for three-dimensional features like [[Vault (architecture)|vaulted]] ceilings.{{Sfn|López|2011}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=164}}

After the conclusion of the ''Reconquista'' in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (where [[Christopher Columbus]] received royal endorsement for his expedition), and the palaces were partially altered. In 1526, [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor|Charles V]] commissioned a new Renaissance-style palace, now known as the [[Palace of Charles V]], in direct juxtaposition with the Nasrid palaces, but it was left uncompleted in the early 17th century.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=65–70}} Other notable Renaissance additions from the reign of Charles{{nbsp}}V include the Emperor's Chambers and the ''Peinador de la Reina'' ('Queen's Robing Room'), which are connected to the former Nasrid Palaces.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=149-159}}

In the 18th century the Alhambra fell into severe neglect and parts of it were demolished by French troops in 1812.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=|pp=299–301}} Through the course of the 19th century, the Alhambra was "rediscovered" by British, American, and other European [[Romanticism|Romantic]] travelers and intellectuals. The most influential of them was [[Washington Irving]], whose ''[[Tales of the Alhambra]]'' (1832) brought international attention to the site.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=303}} The Alhambra became one of the first Islamic monuments to become the object of modern scientific study and has been the subject of numerous restorations since the 19th century, a process which continues today.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=238–239}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|pp=153–155}}
[[File:Alhambra evening panorama Mirador San Nicolas sRGB-1.jpg|thumb|center|701px|{{center|Panoramic view of the [[Alhambra]] with Sierra Nevada in the background}}]]