From Cordoba to Granada

The Umayyad emirate of Cordoba and the following caliphate of Cordoba ruled Al Andalus from the city of Cordoba till 1031. The mesquita dates to this period. After that it broke up into a number of indepdendent taifas. The Almoravides dynasty rose to prominence and ruled until 1147. At the same time, Zawi ibn Ziri, a member of the tunisian royal family made granada his caital. Under the zirid dynasty in the beggining of the eleventh century, Granada became an independent sultanate. By the end of the eleventh century, the city had spread across the Darro to reach what is now the site of the Alhambra. In 1228, Ibn al-Ahmar established the longest lasting Muslim dynasty on the Iberian peninsula - the Nasrids. However, this was the high peak of the reconquesta and to avoid defeat, the Nasrids aligned themselves with Ferdinand II of Castile. Twenty kings ruled Granada from the founding of the dynasty in 1232 by Muhammed I ibn Nasr until 1492, when Boabdil surrendered to the invading armies of Ferdinand and Isabel, of Castile . It was in this period, most of the palaces and garrisons in the Alhambra were built. Some parts like the palace of Charles V were added later after the defeat of Nasrid dynasty.

A lot of history, some pictures to follow.