Aljafería

The Aljafería is an 11th-century Islamic palace standing in the heart of Zaragoza, widely considered the most important surviving Moorish monument north of the Tagus river. Built as a pleasure residence by the Hudid dynasty, it is remarkable for its architectural layering: intricate horseshoe-arch ornamentation from the Islamic core gives way to Gothic arcades added by the kings of Aragon, and then to a Renaissance palace commissioned by Ferdinand and Isabella. Over subsequent centuries the building served as a seat of the Inquisition and then as an army barracks well into the 20th century, before extensive excavation and restoration revealed its earlier fabric. Today it houses the Parliament of Aragon, and visitors pass through fortified towers and a moat into a UNESCO-listed complex where Islamic geometry, Gothic vaulting, and Renaissance stonework exist within a single courtyard.