When it was built over 1000 years ago it outside the city of Zaragoza but now sits within the limit

The moat around the palace was added during the renaissance as a defensive measure

Picture of the ruins of the palace in 1985 before reconstruction begin

The gold room of the palace, named because it looked golden with the morning sun

Prayer room or mosque portion of the palace, located next to the gold room

Prisoners were kept in this area throughout the 18th century

Ornate roof of the throne room, with verbiage praising the name of the kings

Palacio de la Aljafería

September 16, 2023 in Spain ⋅ ☁️ 81 °F

We paid 1 Euro each (courtesy of being over 65) for a guided tour of the Aljafería Palace, fortified medieval palace built during the second half of the 11th century in Al-Andalus, present day Zaragoza. It was the residence of the Banu Hud dynasty during the era of Abu Jaffar Al-Muqtadir. (thank you Wikipedia) . That particular dynasty didn’t have long to enjoy it because with the Christian re-conquest of 1118, it was taken over by the kings of Aragon.
Today it houses the Cortes (regional parliament) of the autonomous community of Aragon. It is one of only 3 remaining, almost complete examples of Islamic architecture in Spain, along with the Alhambra in Granada, and the Alcázar in Córdoba.Read more