Oct. 8 (Granada)

Granada would be of only slight touristic importance if it were not for the splendid Alhambra, an imposing royal palace and fortress built on a hill in the center of the city and one of the world's greatest sightseeing attractions, visited by two million persons annually. The last major vestige of the Islamic occupation of southern Spain from the 11th to the 15th century, it was the seat of the Caliphs, successors to Mohammed, who wielded both the religious and secular power of the Emirate established on the Iberian peninsula.

Somber in its exterior, stunning inside, with a splendid Hall of Ambassadors, Lion's Court and Fountain, a Serail and Harem, and terraced gardens, this is one of the world's great sights.

Patio de los Arrayanes

Mexuar Patio and Comares Front

Patio de los Leones

On the Alhambra's grounds is the Generalife, a charming summer palace with Cypress trees, oleander bushes, groves of lemon and orange trees, and rose gardens. On the same grounds: a Spanish-Moorish Museum with objects found on the palace grounds and today displayed on its first floor, while paintings of local artists (16th to 18th century) are displayed upstairs. Highlight of the museum is a unique Blue Amphora, which guards will point out.

Most other Arabian buildings here were destroyed after the expulsion of the Moors, but Spanish kings wisely and immediately took over the Alhambra as their residence. It was in those lavish rooms that Queen Isabella I announced to Columbus that she would finance his voyage of exploration.

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