Alhambra: Sun and Shade
1248 AD
1248 1248
03.33W37.12N
ARC

GRANADA, SPAIN
	In the hilltop palace-fortress of Alhambra in southern Spain, Moorish architects used one of the area's most abundant resources to create a subtle and beautiful work of architecture.
	The Alhambra, in the city of Granada, features the sun. The palace's numerous and intimate courtyards are lit and warmed by the sun and shaded by plants and flowing water. Offsetting the bright courtyards are cool, dark hallways decorated with intricate plasterwork.
	In Arabic, "Alhambra" means red, which suggests the palace is named after the color of its exterior brickwork, though others suggest the name comes from the color of the torches that lit the palace during the night as it was being built.
	The Alhambra, one of the most famous examples of Muslim architecture, was built between 1248 and 1354 during the reign of Muhammed Ibn Al Ahmar and his successors.
	With its grottoes and gardens, the building seems to reflect the love of pleasure that marked the mellower Moorish rulers that succeeded their warlike ancestors who invaded the land.
	These Muslim rulers had a love for poetry, science and medicine, and were generally tolerant of non-Muslims, such as the Christians and Jews, though at times they were capable of great cruelty.
	When the Moors were finally expelled from Spain, the Alhambra fared badly for many years. Vandalism, neglect and earthquakes contributed to its decline. It was not until the 1800s that the palace began to be restored.
	One of the most famous of the Alhambra's courtyards is the Court of the Lions, which you can see here. It is 116 feet long by 66 feet across. The courtyard is paved with colored tiles and at the center is an alabaster basin supported by 12 lions made of white marble.