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Beside the Guadalquivir river in the historic heart of Cordoba, the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos, the Castle of the Christian Monarchs, is a fortress-palace whose walls and gardens encapsulate the layered history of one of the most significant cities of medieval Spain. The present structure was built in the fourteenth century by King Alfonso XI on the site of earlier Moorish and Roman fortifications, and it became a residence of the Castilian monarchs. The Alcazar holds a notable place in history as the base from which the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, directed part of the long campaign that culminated in the conquest of Granada in 1492, and it was here, according to tradition, that they received Christopher Columbus to discuss his proposed voyage westward. For a long period the building served as a seat of the Spanish Inquisition and later as a prison. The fortress is built around a courtyard, with sturdy towers at its corners offering views over the city and the river, and its interior preserves Roman mosaics of exceptional quality, recovered from the city and displayed within the halls, alongside a Roman sarcophagus. The true glory of the Alcazar, however, lies in its extensive gardens, laid out on descending terraces in the Moorish and Renaissance tradition, with long rectangular pools, fountains, channels of running water, clipped hedges, orange and lemon trees, cypresses and abundant flowers, creating one of the most beautiful garden settings in Andalusia, especially atmospheric when illuminated on summer evenings. Located within the UNESCO-listed historic centre of Cordoba near the great Mosque-Cathedral and the old Jewish quarter, and easily reached on foot, the Alcazar draws visitors interested in history, architecture and gardens throughout the year across every season of the calendar. Tickets cover the fortress, the towers and the celebrated gardens, which are especially atmospheric when illuminated on summer evenings, and the central location near the Mosque-Cathedral makes it easy to combine with the other monuments of the old city throughout the year across every season.