Alhambra

Its name comes from Arabic al-kal'at al-hamra, meaning 'red fortress'; most of today's palaces were built under the Nasrid dynasty in the 13th–14th centuries and surrendered by Boabdil in 1492. It stood half-ruined and forgotten for five centuries until Washington Irving's book, written while he lived for months in one of its rooms in 1829, rekindled European interest. The twelve marble lions supporting the fountain in the Court of Lions and the muqarnas vaulting are considered the peak of Nasrid craftsmanship. Daily ticket numbers are limited.