Doris Garcia, age 16, of Nogales, Ariz., for her question:
ARE THERE MANY CASTLES IN SPAIN?
Spain has about 1,400 castles and palaces. This number includes the famous alcazars, a name given to the spectacular palaces built by the Moorish rulers in Spanish cities in the 1200s and 1300s. Alcazars are often on hilltops and were sometimes surrounded by walls.
The finest example of Moorish art in Europe is found in the alcazar called the Alhambra. Located in Granada, Spain, it also served as a fortress. It was built between 1248 and 1354. Its beauty lies in the decorations of the inner courts and halls.
Plaster moldings laced with foliage cover the walls and ceilings of the Alhambra. The beautiful Court of the Lions and its spectacular fountain are internationally famous.
The Moorish kings built the Alhambra on the site of an older fortress. The name "Alhambra" is the Arabic word for "the red." It most likely came from the red bricks of which the outer wall is made.
The Alhambra has 13 towers which rise above the wall. The wall encloses 35 acres of land on which the beautiful castle and grounds stand.
The Alhambra was the last stronghold of the Moors against the Christians in Europe.
It was in 1492 that the famous building was captured by the armies of the Spanish rulers, Ferdinand and Isabella.
The Escorial, a combination burial place, church, monastery and castle, stands about 30 miles northwest of Madrid. It was built in the 1500s and is one of the world's largest buildings. The gray granite Escorial covers about 400,000 square feet. The gigantic structure has 300 rooms, 88 fountains and 86 staircases.
Escorial is a burial place for some of the former kings of spain.
Spain has a rich artistic tradition that is found in many of its buildings. For example, the enormous cathedral in Cordoba was built originally as a mosque in the 700s. More than 1,000 pillars of granite, onyx, jasper and marble support its arches.
A spectacular monastery and burial place, called the Valley of the Fallen, is about 10 miles from E1 Escorial. The burial chamber lies inside a mountain. About 46,000 men who died in the Spanish civil war are buried here. The body of dictator Francisco Franco is also buried here.
A cross 500 feet high, cut from a single piece of stone, stands atop the mountain.
Another spectacular example of Spanish architecture can be found in the Gothic cathedral in Seville. It is Europe's second largest church, with only St. Peter's church in Rome being larger. The Seville cathedral measures 380 feet long, 250 feet wide and has a tower 400 feet high.
Spain's beautiful castles are scattered across the nation. A particularly beautiful one can be found on a hilltop overlooking Segovia.
Many ruins of ancient Roman structures can also be found through the country. These include aqueducts, bridges and other structures.