Granada

Granada was first settled in prehistoric times, and was known as Ilbyr. It's located at a point where the Sierra Nevada mountains meet the fertile plains of Andalucia. Behind it are steep mountains and in front there is flat agricultural land. The Jews were one of the first peoples to settle in Spain and Iliberir, even before the Romans.

After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Jews were persecuted so severely by the Visigoths that they welcomed the Muslim invaders. The Jews lived in a district known as Garnatha Al Yahud, from which the city's present name may have been derived. The Moorish empire once stretched into northern Spain, but the Christians steadily drove the Moors out.

Granada was the last Moor stronghold, and it finally succumbed to Isabel and Ferdinand in 1492. Then the Moors and Jews were forced to leave the country or convert to Christianity. The Spanish Inquisition ensued, and those who did not convert to Catholicism were tortured and executed. At the same time Christopher Columbus came to Granada to ask Isabel and Ferdinand for a grant to build ships so that he could discover a passage to India. They gave him the money, and you know the rest.

Granada has many churches and museums, but it also has the Alhambra. The Alhambra is a massive castle with a series of palaces and gardens built by the Nazari Dynasty in the 14th century. It contains gardens, fortifications and sumptuous palaces. Most of the photos in this section are of the Alhambra.