The Alhambra (from the 9th century onwards); Granada, Spain

Under extreme pressure coal can become diamonds. This might be an appropriate analogy for how the Alhambra in Granada came into being. These days, this hilltop fortress with its palaces and gardens is one of Spain's prime tourist attractions; one of the most stunning sights in Europe. Its splendour seems a natural reflection of the mighty Kaliphate of Al-Andalus – but it isn't.

During the days Al-Andalus was the epicentre of the world, Granada was no more than an important provincial town. There was and had been a number of fortresses on the site of the current Alhambra since Roman times, erected from the red stones of the cliffs on which they stood – al-Hamra is Arabic for “the red one”.

After many centuries of internal strife and war with its Christian and Muslim neighbours, the Kaliphate of Al-Andalus had been crushed, and splintered into many small emirates. These emirates were subsequently conquered one after another by the Christian armies from the north, until eventually just one remained, tucked in the mountains of the extreme south of the peninsula: the emirate of Granada. Somehow, in defiance of overwhelming odds (constant wars with multiple enemies, crusades) this emirate managed to remain in existence for 254 years. It was founded by the master strategist Muhammed Ibn Nasr, and ruled by his predecessors, the Nasrids, until 1492. The Nasrids made Granada their capital and built their palace on the site of the old red fortress.

And somehow, though under constant threat, its economy crippled by war and tribute payments to neighbouring states, Granada became a thriving metropolis where the arts and the sciences flourished. Its palace became a citadel unrivalled by any other of its day. It was built in a style developed just for this one building, even with its own style of column. The extremely intricate interior design elaborates on and combines all the building styles that existed on the Spanish peninsula since the arrival of the Moors and thus the Alhambra became – unwittingly or not – a physical crescendo, a grand finale to an epoch in world history.

(text: Edgar Foley)