Last bastion of Islamic art and civilization in Spain, Granada achieved its greatest glory under the Nasrid kings, who built most all the palaces that make up the Alhambra. The city of Granada takes its name from the pre-existing encompassed Jewish neighborhood, Garnata El-yehud – Garnatum is Latin for pomegranate, but also means, fortress. When in 1492 the city fell to the Catholic monarchs, the “Christianization” of Granada meant expulsion, conversion, or death for all Muslim and Jew. A cathedral went up and mosques became churches.

Although many great Moorish buildings were destroyed during the Reconquest, others such as the Islamic baths of the Alhambra and El Bañuelo remain intact and architecturally unique in Europe. Also preserved are a number of palaces and the Arab houses of the Albaicin, allowing wonderful hint of the romance and architectural magnificence that was once-upon-a-time Al-Andalus.