Castillo de Alhambra

The Castillo de Alhambra occupies a hilltop adjacent to the town of the same name in Ciudad Real province. Built during the mid-12th century as an Arab fortress under Muslim control, it later became the center of territorial disputes during the Christian Reconquista. In 1212, following Alfonso VIII's victory, the fortress passed to Christian hands and was granted to the Order of Santiago in 1214. Over subsequent centuries, as the castle lost strategic relevance to changing political borders, it gradually deteriorated through progressive abandonment. The fortress received legal protection in 1949 and again under Spain's historical heritage law, though it now stands largely in ruins. Its distinctive polygonal silhouette reflects architectural modifications made during the medieval period and contributions from figures like Count Álvaro Núñez de Lara, providing evidence of centuries of military adaptation.