Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Alhambra

The Romans conquered the place in 57 BC. BC and expanded it into a walled city. The city gained importance because it was at the intersection of several important transport routes. During the barbarian invasions, Évora came under the rule of the Visigothic king Leovigild in 584. In 715, the city was conquered by the Moors. During the Moorish rule (715–1165), the town slowly began to prosper again and developed into an agricultural center with a fortress and a mosque. Évora was wrested from the Moors through an attack by Geraldo Sem Pavor ("Gerald the Fearless") in 1165. The town came under the rule of the Portuguese king Afonso I in 1166. It then flourished during the Middle Ages, especially in the 15th century. The Royal Palace of Évora has its origins in the Convent and College of São Francisco, built before the reign of King Afonso IV. In 1387, King John I took the first step in transforming the convent into a palace, when he ordered that two chambers, and antechamber, an inn, servants houses, a well, and an orange grove all be built at the convent, and evicted resident Franciscans from certain wings of the convent turned palace. In 1470, King Afonso V raised the Palace of São Francisco, as it was known, to the level of a royal palace. He expanded the complex and installed his court there. The King spent large sums of time at the palace, but after his defeat in the War of the Castilian Succession, he lived the rest of his life in a monastery. King Afonso V's son, King John II, was the first king to use the palace as a full-time palace He installed the Portuguese Cortes, his parliaments, in the Royal Palace of Évora. In 1490, King John II opened the Portuguese Cortes once again at the palace and on 24 March 1490, the palace became the center of festivities for the marriage of Afonso, Prince of Portugal to Isabella, Princess of Asturias. To facilitate the marriage celebrations, King John II expanded the palace, through the construction of a new wing and gardens. In 1495, Pope Alexander VI granted King John II, as per his request, the right to completely evict all clergymen still residing in the convent part of the palace, so long that he built them a church and a new convent. With King John II's death, in 1495, his cousin, Manuel I, succeeded him as King Manuel I of Portugal. He took a great interest in Évora, establishing his court there on various occasions. From 1502 to 1520, King Manuel I ordered a vast series of renovations, constructions, and enlargements. So the palace grew to one of the largest palaces in Iberia. The additions were inspired by Alhambra of Granada. Most of the complex was destroyed during the Portuguese Restoration War. Since 1865, the Palace was used as an Archaeological Museum, theater and exhibition space, until a collapse in, 1881 destroyed its roofs. After the disaster, it was adapted to the public theater house. In March 1916 it was destroyed by fire, and remained so until 1943, when it was recovered by the National Monuments, which restored the property and saved the essential parts of the old pavilion All that remains today, of the Royal Palace of Évora, is the Gallery of Dames.

A small fortress was built in 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications on which in the mid-13th century the Alhambra, a large palace and fortress complex, got erected by the Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. In 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Isabella I of Castile. The palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style. A palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was completed due to Morisco rebellions in Granada. In 1526 Charles V commissioned a new palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor, but this was ultimately never completed due to Morisco rebellions. The Alhambra complex, having fallen in disrepair, was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other travelers. One of them was the US-author Washington Irving, who published "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1832. Today the well restored Alhambra is one of Spain's major tourist attractions, though tourists with no prebooked tickets, won´t see it all. The Alhambra seen from the neighbouring "Palacio de Generalife".

A small fortress was built in 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications on which in the mid-13th century the Alhambra, a large palace and fortress complex, got erected by the Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. In 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Isabella I of Castile. The palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style. A palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was completed due to Morisco rebellions in Granada. In 1526 Charles V commissioned a new palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor, but this was ultimately never completed due to Morisco rebellions. The Alhambra complex, having fallen in disrepair, was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other travelers. One of them was the US-author Washington Irving, who published "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1832. Today the well restored Alhambra is one of Spain's major tourist attractions, though tourists with no prebooked tickets, won´t see it all. In the gardens of the Alhambra Mass tourism has left its marks. Many tourist left their messages in the bark of the trees. Maybe they had no prebooked tickets.

A small fortress was built in 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications on which in the mid-13th century the Alhambra, a large palace and fortress complex, got erected by the Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. In 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Isabella I of Castile. The palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style. A palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was completed due to Morisco rebellions in Granada. In 1526 Charles V commissioned a new palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor, but this was ultimately never completed due to Morisco rebellions. The Alhambra complex, having fallen in disrepair, was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other travelers. One of them was the US-author Washington Irving, who published "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1832. Today the well restored Alhambra is one of Spain's major tourist attractions, though tourists with no prebooked tickets, won´t see it all. As we had no prebooked tickets, I need to return. When in 1526 Charles V commissioned "his" palace in Granada great parts of the Nasrid palaces got demolished to give room for the new building. The square building was never completed (it got a roof in 1929). It has a round patio, seen here, with a diameter of 31 metres.

A small fortress was built in 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications on which in the mid-13th century the Alhambra, a large palace and fortress complex, got erected by the Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. In 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Isabella I of Castile. The palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style. A palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was completed due to Morisco rebellions in Granada. In 1526 Charles V commissioned a new palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor, but this was ultimately never completed due to Morisco rebellions. The Alhambra complex, having fallen in disrepair, was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other travelers. One of them was the US-author Washington Irving, who published "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1832. Today the well restored Alhambra is one of Spain's major tourist attractions, though tourists with no prebooked tickets, won´t see it all. As we had no prebooked tickets, I need to return.

A small fortress was built in 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications on which in the mid-13th century the Alhambra, a large palace and fortress complex, got erected by the Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. In 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Isabella I of Castile. The palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style. A palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was completed due to Morisco rebellions in Granada. In 1526 Charles V commissioned a new palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor, but this was ultimately never completed due to Morisco rebellions. The Alhambra complex, having fallen in disrepair, was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other travelers. One of them was the US-author Washington Irving, who published "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1832. Today the well restored Alhambra is one of Spain's major tourist attractions, though tourists with no prebooked tickets, won´t see it all. As we had no prebooked tickets, I need to return.

A small fortress was built in 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications on which in the mid-13th century the Alhambra, a large palace and fortress complex, got erected by the Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. In 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Isabella I of Castile. The palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style. A palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was completed due to Morisco rebellions in Granada. In 1526 Charles V commissioned a new palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor, but this was ultimately never completed due to Morisco rebellions. The Alhambra complex, having fallen in disrepair, was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other travelers. One of them was the US-author Washington Irving, who published "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1832. Today the well restored Alhambra is one of Spain's major tourist attractions, though tourists with no prebooked tickets, won´t see it all. As we had no prebooked tickets, I need to return.

A small fortress was built in 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications on which in the mid-13th century the Alhambra, a large palace and fortress complex, got erected by the Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. In 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Isabella I of Castile. The palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style. A palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was completed due to Morisco rebellions in Granada. In 1526 Charles V commissioned a new palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor, but this was ultimately never completed due to Morisco rebellions. The Alhambra complex, having fallen in disrepair, was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other travelers. One of them was the US-author Washington Irving, who published "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1832. Today the well restored Alhambra is one of Spain's major tourist attractions, though tourists with no prebooked tickets, won´t see it all. As we had no prebooked tickets, I need to return. The "Court of the Myrtles" ("Patio de los Arrayanes") has a central pond, which is 34 metres long.

A small fortress was built in 889 on the remains of Roman fortifications on which in the mid-13th century the Alhambra, a large palace and fortress complex, got erected by the Nasrid Emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar. In 1333 it was converted into a royal palace by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada. After the Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand II of Aragon and his wife Isabella I of Castile. The palaces were partially altered in the Renaissance style. A palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V was completed due to Morisco rebellions in Granada. In 1526 Charles V commissioned a new palace better befitting the Holy Roman Emperor, but this was ultimately never completed due to Morisco rebellions. The Alhambra complex, having fallen in disrepair, was rediscovered following the defeat of Napoleon, who had conducted retaliatory destruction of the site. The rediscoverers were first British intellectuals and then other travelers. One of them was the US-author Washington Irving, who published "Tales of the Alhambra" in 1832. Today the well restored Alhambra is one of Spain's major tourist attractions, though tourists with no prebooked tickets, won´t see it all. As we had no prebooked tickets, I need to return. The "Court of the Myrtles" ("Patio de los Arrayanes") has a central pond, which is 34 metres long.

We had booked a hotel neighbouring the Alhambra to be the very first tourists at the ticket booth next day, but even after a very early breakfast we arrived too late. We stood in line for about two hours - and got onformed via the loudspeakers, that certain tickets were already sold out. Be advised to get your tickets online. Before you arrive in Granada.