The Romans built a small fort on this site and centuries later, a 9th century caliph expanded on the fort, basically converting it to a fortress with substantial walls. It was essentially unused between the 11th century and the middle of the13th century (all that time under Moslem rule). At that time the ruling caliph began an expansion and restoration which was basically ongoing until the 14th century when Sultan Yusef I moved in and made it his palace.
The first image shows Beth walking in one of the gardens (there are about 20 gardens, some built by Moorish rulers, some by Christian rulers). The garden vegetation is fairly modern dating from the 19th century but based, where possible, on descriptions of the gardens found in the journals of 14th-16th century visitors to the site.
The second image is that of George in one of the gardens where they did landscape art.
I didn't get anyone in the third image. However, I was very impressed with it. 
The fourth image is the courtyard of the Palacio de Generalife (the architect's palace). This is called the Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Channel). It was built in the beginning of the 14th century. The water comes from the mountains near Granada and retention pools constructed in the palace grounds provide both the water and the pumping force.
The fifth image shows our tour manager speaking into the 'whisper system' we used. The garden that this shows was one build by the Christian Kings after they took Granada in 1492. I took this image partly because it shows the use of a vine we call 'Virginia Creeper' (on the right) as a landscaping plant. In our part of the world, this vine is a pest and effort is made to remove it.
The sixth image shows a patio near the top of the Alhambra. The city is laid out below. The seventh image shows the Palace of Charles I of Spain. He was also Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire. The first of these was because he was grandson of Isabella and Ferdinand, the second was because he was grandson of Maximilian I. He was King of Spain from 1516 and Emperor from 1519. He abdicated both positions in the 1550s (various parts of his domain became Kingship of his sons and other relatives).
The eighth image is that of Beth and Ann at the courtyard of the Palace of the Ambassadors. This is the palace at which most government business was done in both the Moslem and Christian periods. The ninth (from wikipedia) and tenth images (the 10th is mine) are at the palace of the lions and the courtyard of the lions. In the 8th image a pool provides a nice mirror image of the palace.
The palace was built between the late 14th and early 15th centuries.
The lions were, according to our local guide, a gift from wealthy Jews (there are 12 lions, perhaps symbolizing the 12 tribes) and were displayed by the Sultan to show that his non Moslem subjects loved him. Our tour manager said the gift came from Samuel Hanagid (the leader of the Jewish community in the early 11th century and also a poet, philosopher and diplomat for the Sultan), as a fountain, apparently identical to the fountain we saw is discussed by a visitor to Samuel's house. I pointed out that since Samuel died in the 11th century he could not have given it to the Sultan in the 14th century. George said that it might have been a descendant of Samuel.
The Jewish population did return in the 14th century and by the mid 15th century there were from 10,000 to 50,000 Jews in the city and it may be that the family of Samuel re-possessed the lions and gave them to the Sultan or it could be that the lions were in cold storage and discovered by agents of the Sultan or the lions of the 14th century might be a replica of the lions of the 11th century. Anyway, with respect to the 12 lions, some records of visitors in the 15th century say that the 12 lions were for the 12 hours of day (or night) and that one lion would be a fountain each hour. 
No description of Alhambra would be complete without mention of the Alhambra decree (a.k.a., the edict of expulsion) of March 1492 which gave the Jews of Spain 4 months to leave.
Images 11 and 12 are from the site of EvainMadrid@wordpress.com. Image 11 is the courtyard of the Palace of Ambassadors (similar to one above but without Beth) and image 12 is in the hall of the Ambassadors (we were not allowed to use flash inside) and is thought to be where the decree was made. Isabella I of Castile was the person behind this decree. She had, a few months before the decree, gotten a new confessor (the new archbishop) who is now thought by many to be the initiator of the decree. The decree was formally revoked in 1968 and in 2014, any Jew who can demonstrate (I'm not sure how you do this) a Spanish heritage is entitled to Spanish citizenship (and duel citizenship is recognized).
The Alhambra has numerous viewpoints at which the city may be observed. Image 12 is George at one such point. The modern city of Granada is on the left, the hill in which the poorer gypsies used to live is on the right. 
After we saw the palaces, we had more gardens to walk through on the way out. Image 13 is of Beth at one of these. It is the garden outside the 'Tower of the Ladies'. 
It is not a great image but I thought it would be nice to know a pomegranate tree is part of the gardens. As a reminder, these gardens have been planted beginning in the late 19th century but are intended to replicate, as near as possible, the gardens of the 14th-16th century.
Finally, the Alhambra is what is generally considered a 'restored' or even 'reconstructed' site. This work began in about 1830 and went slowly until the 20th century.
The final two images (from wikipedia) show what the fortress tower looked like before and after, restoration and reconstruction in the 20th century.
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