Calat Alhambra or “The Red Fortress” is a Moorish palace on top of a hill overlooking Granada, Spain. As a palace-city built by the last Emirs of the Nasrid dynasty in the 14th century, it had its own irrigation system and mosques within the fortress walls. After the Catholic Reconquest of Spain, Charles V commissioned a palace within the Alhambra and other Christian rulers used portions of the fortress. Though it eventually fell into disrepair, the Alhambra was restored and maintained so that visitors could appreciate its beauty. The elaborately decorated fortress has exquisite carvings and inscriptions covering every bit of space. Light from the domes draws attention to the incredible mocarabe work, a complex arrangement of prisms with a stalactite design. With its gardens, fountains and streams, the Alhambra was designed to be a realization of Paradise on earth.
