Moorish Castle started from Gibraltar in 711 and, through to its final recapture by Spaniards in 1462, Moorish rule was gradually undermined until, with the fall of Granada in 1492, Moorish occupation of parts of western Europe came to an end after 781 years. The Moorish conquest of Spain was led by Tarik ibn Ziyad and Musa ibn Nusayr, who may have landed in Europe at or near Gibraltar. Gibraltar thus became the stepping-stone to the Moorish conquests of most of Spain and part of France. This spectacular feat of arms took a mere twenty-one years, no mean task considering the distances
Tales of the Alhambra essays and short fiction pieces, it was referred to as his "Spanish "Sketch Book"". Shortly after the book's publication, Irving returned to New York after a 17-year absence from the United States. In 1851 Irving wrote an "Author's Revised Edition", also titled "Tales of the Alhambra". The book was instrumental in reintroducing the Alhambra to Western audiences. A plaque now marks the rooms in which Irving stayed while writing some of his book. Alexander Pushkin's 1834 tale in verse "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel" is based on two chapters of "Tales of the Alhambra". In turn, the Pushkin poem