Granada

gra-na'da, an ancient kingdom of the Moors. It had a Mediterranean frontage and now forms three provinces of southern Spain. Granada, the capital city of the kingdom, was also the chief commercial city. It is beautifully situated on two rivers at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. First the city with its terraces and gilded mosques, then the Alhambra, and behind these the snow-capped mountains,--travelers describe Granada as an imposing sight. The Moors made their last stand in Europe here. Sixty thousand men held the city for a year against the forces of Ferdinand and Isabella, but they were forced to surrender their stronghold in 1492. See Moors; Spain; Alhambra