In 1984 UNESCO added to its list of World Heritage sites the properties of the Alhambra, Generalife, and Albayzin in Granada, Spain. The historical city of Granada, with a population of more than 230,000 people, is located approximately sixty kilometers north of the Alboran Sea, which is the westernmost part of the Mediterranean.
The Alhambra fortress and Albayzin neighborhoods rise on two adjacent hills over the modern lower town. The gardens of the Generalife are located just east of the Alhambra. The Alhambra fortress, Generalife gardens, and residential district of Albayzin all feature stunning examples of Moorish vernacular architecture and culture, reflective of the emirs and Islamic culture that ruled this part of Spain during the 13th and 14th centuries.
Snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Alhambra, Granada. Credit: Geography Images/Universal Images Group 
Spain, Andalusia, Granada, the lower gardens of the Generalife. Credit: Bildagentur-online 
View of city center and historic Moorish buildings in the Albaicin district of Granada seen from the Alhambra. Credit: Geography Images/Universal Images Group 
Spain, Andalusia, Granada. The Alhambra. The Alcazaba. Credit: Prisma Archivo/Universal Images Group 
Cuesta de la Victoria street leading uphill into the Albaicin district, Granada. Credit: Geography Images/Universal Images Group 
Spain, Andalusia, Granada, Alhambra, part of the castle, fish as gargoyles. Credit: Bildagentur-online 
Granada, Spain, a double window with Islamic style architecture. Exterior view of a brick wall in the Alhambra fortress and palace. Credit: Roberto Machado Noa/UCG/Universal Images Group 
Ornate arches in the Alhambra Palace, Granada. Credit: Planet One Images/Universal Images Group 
View through Alhambra window archway to Moorish houses in the Albaicin district of Granada. Credit: Geography Images/Universal Images Group 
View of historic Moorish buildings in the Albaicin district of Granada seen from the Alhambra. Credit: Geography Images/Universal Images Group 
Spain, Andalusia, Granada, Alhambra, part of the palace complex. Court of the Lions, Lions fountain. Credit: Bildagentur-online 
The Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain – topiary of the Generalife Gardens. Credit: Planet One Images/Universal Images Group 
The Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain – pools and courtyards. Credit: Planet One Images/Universal Images Group 
The Alhambra Palace, Granada, Spain – Generalife Gardens. Credit: Planet One Images/Universal Images Group 
Sublime ornate ceiling of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Credit: Planet One Images/Universal Images Group 
Ornate door in the Alhambra Palace in Granada. Credit: Planet One Images/Universal Images Group 
Entrance courtyard of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Credit: Planet One Images/Universal Images Group 
Decorated walls of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain. Credit: Planet One Images/Universal Images Group 
Granada, Spain, Arches and clay tiled roof part of the palace inside of the Alhambra complex. Credit: Roberto Machado Noa/UCG/Universal Images Group 
Granada, Spain, an ancient church amid a Spanish landscape. Point of view from the Alhambra fortress and palace complex. Credit: Roberto Machado Noa/UCG/Universal Images Group 
Granada, Spain, An old tower in the corner of a fortified surrounding wall. Credit: Roberto Machado Noa/UCG/Universal Images Group 
Granada, Spain, ancient tower and dome. High angle view of the landscape from the Alhambra fort and palace complex. Credit: Roberto Machado Noa/UCG/Universal Images Group
The architectural and design aspects of the Alhambra are prime examples of Nasrid art and the fortress is the only preserved palatine city of the Islamic period. The fortress complex covers approximately 142,000 square meters. The first historical documents known about the Alhambra date from the 9th century, but it was not until the arrival of the first king of the Nasrid dynasty, Mohammed ben Al-Hamar (Mohammed I, 1238-1273), in the 13th century, that the royal residence was established in the Alhambra.
The Generalife Garden and its vegetable farms represent one of the few medieval areas of agricultural productivity. Gardens were an important part of Islamic culture during this era and the emirs that ruled Granada built and maintained these spectacular gardens.
The residential district of the Albayzín, which constitutes the origin of the City of Granada, is a rich legacy of Moorish town planning and architecture in which Nasrid buildings and constructions of Christian tradition coexist harmoniously.
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Sources:
UNESCO
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/314
Alhambra de Granada
https://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/historicalintroduction.asp