(All Pics Credit: freepik)
The Alhambra, a representation of Spain's lengthy past, is perched high above Granada. It was in 1238 that the hilltop palace and castle were first commissioned by Ibn al-Aḥmar, the founder of the Naṣrid dynasty.
It took about 250 years to build Castillo San Felipe del Morro, popularly known as El Morro. At the topmost peak of Old San Juan, the Spanish started construction on the fort in 1539. The fortress's six storeys were purposefully built to give occupants the upper hand over any enemy ships that could approach the harbor.
Encircled by immaculate formal gardens, Château de Chenonceau seems to float gracefully over the Cher River that reflects light. The arched bridge, the signature feature of the castle, was commissioned by Diane de Poitiers, the mistress of Henry II, in the 16th century, but the original structure dates to the 11th century.
In the 1860s, King Carol I ordered the building of a neo-Renaissance-style castle in the sleepy village of Sinaia, inspired by the Bucegi Mountains. There are 160 rooms in the royal summer palace, each with a unique theme.
Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City is the only castle in North America that has ever held real sovereigns. In 1785, Viceroy Bernardo de Gálvez gave the order to build the stronghold to house the governor of the Spanish province of New Spain.
Sultan Al-Ashraf Qaitbay started building this stern fortification on the Mediterranean Sea in 1477 after hearing that Ottoman forces were moving closer to Alexandria. On the remains of the abandoned Pharos Lighthouse, the blueprints for the castle were skillfully arranged.
Matsumoto Castle's history begins in 1504 when the Ogasawara clan began constructing a fort to repel invaders. The formidable warlord Takeda Shingen took control of the military structure just a few years after it was finished.
Written documents discovered at the Zobor Abbey suggest that this Romanesque stronghold may have started out as a wooden fort in 1113. Wood was gradually replaced by stone, and by the sixteenth century, the Gothic fortress had Renaissance features.