Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos

The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Spanish for "Castle of the Christian Monarchs"), also known as the Alcázar of Córdoba, is a medieval alcázar (Arabic: القصر, romanized: Al-Qasr, lit. 'The Palace') located in the historic centre of Córdoba (in Andalusia, Spain), next to the Guadalquivir River and near the Mosque-Cathedral. The fortress served as one of the primary residences of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.

It is a building of military character whose construction was ordered by the King Alfonso XI of Castile in the year 1328, on previous constructions (the Islamic-era Umayyad Alcázar, also the previous residence of the Roman Governor and the Customs). The architectural ensemble has a sober character in its exterior and splendid in its interior, with the magnificent gardens and courtyards that maintain a Mudéjar inspiration.

The Alcázar has been declared a Cultural Interest Heritage since 1931. It forms part of the Historic Center of Córdoba that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.

Text adapted from “Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos ranks #651 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #26 of the 600 mapped in Spain. Founded 1328, it is older than 61% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 582 atlas entries founded in the 14th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 7,224 times in the last 60 days, more than 89% of the atlas. 7 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Jaén, 88 km away. It is one of the 125 landmarks on the atlas's regional map of Andalusia. See how Spain compares in the castle statistics.

View on the interactive castle map →

Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗