The Alhambra is touted by many as being the best preserved example of a Moorish palace in Europe. Located in the Andalusian city of Grenada the ancient fortress is undoubtedly the city’s most famous site. The name Alhambra translates as “Red Castle” in Arabic and was described by Moorish poets as “a pearl set in emeralds”. The fortress occupies an ideal strategic defensive position flanked by a river to the north looking towards the towering Sierra Nevada. The Alhambra has had a rich and chequered history that has seen it under the rule of many and face near destruction at the hands of aggressors and natural disasters alike.