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Illustration of Muhammad V of Granada, a Nasrid sultan, before the Palace of the Lions in the Alhambra
Ruler Patron Nasrid Granada1238–1492

Muhammad V

Lived 1339–1391 (about 52 years)

Also known as
Muhammad V of Granada

Muhammad V of Granada, born in 1339 and dead in 1391, ruled the Nasrid sultanate twice, in 1354–1359 and again from 1362 to 1391. His second reign left the clearest marks on the Alhambra: the Patronato calls him the inspiration of the Palace of the Lions, built between 1362 and 1391, and he also expanded the Mexuar and refurbished the Comares Palace.

To see that work, start at the Nasrid Palaces inside the Alhambra. Away from the hill, he founded Granada's maristan, or hospital, in his second sultanate. Its foundation stone gives construction dates of 1365 to 1367, and the Patronato calls it one of the first hospitals built on the Iberian Peninsula.

For related reading, see the Court of the Lions and the Maristan of Granada. Read the full story.

The full story

Places to see

The Alhambra palace complex viewed from the Albaicin hillside, with the Sierra Nevada mountains behind
Alhambra
Star-pierced brick vaults and Roman columns inside El Bañuelo Arab Baths, Granada
Arab Baths El Bañuelo
The Patio de los Leones in the Nasrid Palaces, with its central alabaster fountain supported by twelve lions
Nasrid Palaces
The circular colonnaded courtyard of the Palacio de Carlos V inside the Alhambra, with Doric columns on the ground floor
Museo de la Alhambra
Whitewashed lanes of the Albaicín with a view of the Alhambra through a narrow archway
Albaicín

In their time

  1. Nasrid Granada

    1238–1492

    Muhammad I founded the emirate in 1232, became Fernando III's vassal and began the Alcazaba on the Alhambra hill. Yusuf I added the Comares Tower and the Hall of Ambassadors, and Muhammad V finished the Court of the Lions around 1380. In all, 23 sultans ruled for 260 years before the city surrendered in 1492.

    1. Muhammad I

      c. 1195–1273 Historical figure

      Muhammad I of Granada founded the Nasrid dynasty and began the Alhambra in 1238. His life, from Arjona to the Sabika hill, and where to see his trace today.

    2. Ibn al-Khatib

      1313–1374 Historical figure

      Ibn al-Khatib, born in Loja in 1313, was vizier to Nasrid kings Yusuf I and Muhammad V, and a poet and physician whose verse decorates the Alhambra walls.

    3. Yusuf I

      1318–1354 Historical figure

      Yusuf I of Granada ruled the Nasrid sultanate from 1333 to 1354 and left the Alhambra's Puerta de la Justicia and the Madraza. His life and where to find him.

    4. Ibn Khaldun

      1332–1406 Historical figure

      Ibn Khaldun, the Tunis-born historian, served the Nasrid court of Granada under Muhammad V. His life, the Alhambra that housed it, and where to read more.

    5. Ibn Zamrak

      c. 1333–1393 Historical figure

      Ibn Zamrak was a Nasrid vizier and poet from Granada. See where his verses survive in the Alhambra, from the Court of the Lions to the Lindaraja fountain.

    Undated

    1. Alcaicería

      Monument

      Granada's historic silk market, rebuilt after 1843 in Neo-Moorish style. Small shops sell ceramics, taracea woodwork, spices, and leather goods. Free to enter.

    2. Alhambra

      Monument

      The Alhambra is Granada's UNESCO fortress-palace: Nasrid Palaces, Alcazaba and Generalife gardens. Tickets sell out weeks ahead; book via the Patronato site.

    3. Corral del Carbón

      Monument

      Granada's oldest Arab monument, the Corral del Carbón was built before 1336 as a Nasrid merchant inn, entered through an ornate horseshoe-arch portal.

    4. Palacio de Dar-al-Horra

      Monument

      15th-century Nasrid palace in the upper Albaicín, home of Aixa, mother of Granada's last sultan Boabdil. Less visited than the Alhambra, almost as beautiful.

    5. Nasrid Palaces

      Monument

      Three royal Nasrid palaces inside the Alhambra, including the Patio de los Leones and Hall of the Ambassadors. Entry is timed: arrive within your booked slot.

    Go deeper

Read more

Hall of the Two Sisters in the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra, Granada, with muqarnas stalactite vault and arabesque stucco walls, built under Nasrid dynasty sultan Muhammad V
Nasrid Dynasty: Granada's 260-Year Islamic Kingdom
Ibn Khaldun in Granada: fourteenth-century scholar in a long robe crossing a sunlit Nasrid courtyard, slender columns and arcade behind, a small fountain in the foreground, warm afternoon light
Ibn Khaldun and Ibn Battuta Came to Nasrid Granada
Alcazar Genil Granada: central qubba between two lateral pavilions behind a restored Andalusi garden of myrtle, lavender and pomegranate trees, soft morning light
Alcazar Genil, Granada's Riverside Palace That Lost Its Pool
Excavated Alhambra Rawda, the Nasrid tombs of the royal cemetery, empty trapezoid graves in a walled garden beside Calle Real Baja at dusk, Granada
The Alhambra Rawda: Where Nasrid Sultans Were Buried