Why does Unesco protect Alhambra?

Criterion (iv): The Alhambra and Generalife bear exceptional testimony to Muslim Spain the 13th and 15th centuries. They form a remarkable example of the palatine residences of medieval Islam, neither destroyed nor changed by the vicissitudes of time, as with the examples in Maghreb.



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The colors and detail put into the inside of the Alhambra make it apparent why this building was nominated as a wonder of the world. Unfortunately, and still a sore topic for the granadinos, the Alhambra came in 8th.

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UNESCO World Heritage Site The Alhambra is located west of the city of Granada on the Sabika hill—a strategic vantage point that provides views of the whole city of Granada and the plain (vega) of Granada. The complex is irregular in shape and surrounded by defensive walls.

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12 Interesting Facts About Alhambra Palace in Granada
  • Known as the Red Fortress or Red Castle. ...
  • Built on Roman Ruins. ...
  • People from various social classes did not cross paths. ...
  • The Walls of Alhambra Speak. ...
  • It was built to be a paradise on earth. ...
  • The Tiles used in Alhambra were unique.


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The Alhambra, an abbreviation of the Arabic: Qal'at al-Hamra, or red fort, was built by the Nasrid Dynasty (1232–1492)—the last Muslims to rule in Spain. Muhammad ibn Yusuf ibn Nasr (known as Muhammad I) founded the Nasrid Dynasty and secured this region in 1237.

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Islamic religious art cannot contain iconography, so we rarely see any sort of images of people or animals in these structures. However, in the Alhambra, the Muslim king had three paintings made that clearly show iconography. These paintings are in his personal space, so the iconography is allowed.

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Great Pyramid of Giza, in El Giza, Egypt, the earliest of the wonders to be completed, as well as the only one that still exists in the present day.

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After the conquest, the Alhambra became a royal palace and property of the Spanish Crown.

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The walls of the Alhambra are full of calligraphic decoration, cursive and kufic writings with sentences such as Only God is victor (apparently by Zawi ben Zirí, founder of the Nasrid dynasty) and poems by three poets of the Court of Granada, Ibn al-Yayyab (1274-1349), Ibn al-Jatib (1313-1375) and Ibn Zamrak (1333- ...

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On January 2, 1492, Muhammad XII of Granada (King Boabdil) surrendered the Emirate of Granada, the city of Granada, and the Alhambra palace to the Castilian forces. The war was a joint project between Isabella's Crown of Castile and Ferdinand's Crown of Aragon.

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The buildings of the Alhambra were originally whitewashed; however, the buildings now seen today are reddish. The first reference to the Qal'at al Hamra was during the battles between the Arabs and the Muladies during the rule of the 'Abdullah ibn Muhammad (r. 888-912).

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There were two cemeteries on the hill of the Alhambra: one situated to the south of the fortress, outside the walled area, in which Muhammad I al-Ahmar and two of his grandsons were buried, and the Rauda in which the other Nasrid Sultans and their families were laid to rest.

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The Alhambra is an essential monument, as it proves Arabs once ruled this territory and its architectural style is a relic of this former civilisation. For this reason it was recently declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

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