At Alhambra palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain

 The Alhambra, one of the most famous landmarks in Spain, is the world’s last and greatest Moorish fortress.

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One of the most visited sites in Spain, and even in the world, the orange-toned Alhambra sits on a stunning piece of real estate -- a high, mountainous location on Sabika Hill -- with sweeping views over Granada. Alhambra became a UNESCO site in 1984. A deeply affecting place, it is so beautiful and enchanting that it’s difficult to process. The complex is Spain’s most beautiful monument. It’s so vast, there are four must-see sites: the Nasrid Palace, Charles V’s Palace, the Alcazaba, and the Generalife Gardens.

+ The Nasrid Palace (shown here) is the finest example of the refined, intricate, and elegant architectural style of the Moorish civilization. Every inch of its rooms is decorated, top to bottom, with ceramic tiles, elaborate plaster work, calligraphy, filigreed windows, and stucco stalactite ceilings.

+ The Nasrid sultans didn’t limit themselves to building within Alhambra’s ramparts. Just beyond the walls lie the Generalife Gardens, one of the best preserved Nasrid estates. Generalife was the lush leisure villa of the last dynasty of Moorish sultans. They spent their summers here to escape the intense heat. (Generalife is considered one of Europe’s most beautiful formal gardens.)

+ The Alhambra is said to be Granada’s – and Europe’s – love letter to Moorish culture. Set against the brooding Sierra Nevada peaks, this fortified palace started life as a walled citadel before becoming the opulent seat of Granada’s Nasrid emirs. Their showpiece palaces, the 14th-century Palacios Nazaríes, are among the finest Islamic buildings in Europe and, together with the Generalife gardens, form the Alhambra's great headline act.

+ The origins of the Alhambra, whose name derives from the Arabic al-qala’a al-hamra (the Red Castle), are mired in mystery. The first references to construction in the area appear in the 9th century but it’s thought that buildings may already have been standing since Roman times. In its current form, it largely dates to the 13th and 14th centuries when Granada's Nasrid rulers transformed it into a fortified palace complex.