Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs in English

The Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs is an old fortress built in 1328 by Alfonso the 11th, King of Castilla and great-grandson of Alfonso the 10th ‘The Wise’, which image is represented in a sculpture at the main entrance. Its rectangular architecture is guarded by four different towers in its corners. Inside the building you could see its marvellous courtyards and gardens. And finally you must be relaxed with the sound of water falling down from fountains and ponds.

In this monument you could find archeological Roman remains, from that time in which Cordoba was the capital of Baetica (South Hispania). In this place, Romans built different buildings to create a port, next to Guadalquivir’s river, being one of the main entrances to the city.

When Visigoths came, Roman history almost disappeared, after those Muslims came to the city in the 8th century. This location became the Great Ummayad’s Alcazar, Califal Residence in the 10th century.

With the Christian conquest, they built the actual fortress to be the palace for different Christian Kings, till the arrival of the Catholic Kings Isabella and Ferdinand at the end of the 15th century. They spent 8 years in this building until they conquered Granada, the last Islamic Kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula.

When they left, the Alcazar became the Tribunal for the Spanish Inquisition in Cordoba. It was abolished in 1812 and the building was used as a local prison until the 20th century.