Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristianos

The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Castle of Christian Monarchs) is a historic palace-fortress on the river in Cordoba, Spain.

The Alcázar was built by Alfonso XI in 1328. The original Moorish Alcázar stood beside the Mezquita, on the site of the present Bishop's Palace. Ferdinand and Isabella later governed Castile from the Alcázar for eight years in the 15 th century as they prepared to reconquer Granada, the last Moorish stronghold in Spain. It was here that Queen Isabella heard Christopher Columbus' pitch before his historic journey to the Americas.

Boabdil was imprisoned here in 1483, and for nearly 300 years (1492-1821) the Alcázar served as the headquarters of the Spanish Inquisition.

The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos is a quadrangular building notable for its powerful walls and three towers: the Tower of the Lions, the Tower of Allegiance, and the Tower of the River. The Tower of the Lions contains intricately decorated ceilings that are the most notable example of Gothic architecture in Andalusia.

Inside, the Alcázar houses Roman mosaics and sarcophagi from the 2nd and 3rd centuries, as well as Moorish baths (now used for weddings). The Alcázar is surrounded by magnificent gardens called the Paseo de los Reyes where there are statues of all the kings linked to the palace-fortress.