Sitting at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, Granada is the capital of Granada Province in Andalusia. The city sports 5 universities, home to some 80.000 students. 

Traces of habitation date back to 5500 BC, and by 700 BC an Iberian fortified settlement called Ilturir occupied the hill that now houses Granada's Albaicin quarter.

Over time, Carthaginians, Romans and Visigoths ruled here and the name of the place changed to Iliberis.

Umayyad forces landed in Gibraltar in 711 and started the successful Muslim Conquest of Iberia. 

In 1228 Ibn al-Ahmar founded the Nasrid dynasty that would rule the Emirate of Granada for a period of 250 years.
Granada flourished under the Nasrids who constructed impressive  and richly decorated buildings like the Alhambra palace, the Generalife gardens and the Great Mosque in downtown Granada.
But in1492 Nasrid king Boabdil was defeated by the Catholic Monarchs Isabella I and Ferdinant II, ending the 8 centuries old Reconquista of Iberia.

The new rulers immediately expelled the Jews and turned the Alhambra and the many mosques into Christian churches. They left much of the original constructions intact so that the many visitors of Granada can marvel over the intricate beauty of Moorish art that is the legacy of the Nasrid dynasty.

Must-sees are the Alhambra, the Cathedral and the Royal Chapel (sorry, no photography allowed). In between you can stroll through the old Albaicin quarter and shop in Alcaiceria, once the Grand Bazaar.