Granada - Alhambra Palace Casa Real, Alcázar

On the north side of Charles V's palace is the entrance to the Alhambra Palace, residence of the Moorish rulers of the Nasrid dynasty. Work on the building of the palace began in the reign of Yusuf I (1333-54) and was substantially completed in the reign of Mohammed V (1354-91). Like all Moorish secular buildings, it is externally plain and unpretentious: it depends for artistic effect on its carefully contrived ground plan and its sumptuous decoration, one of the finest achievements of Moorish art. The palace, surrounded by its walls and numerous towers, was known to the Arabs as Medinat al-Hambra, the ''Red City'', after the color of the stone.