Rising above the modern lower town, the Alhambra and the Albaycín, situated on two adjacent hills, form the medieval part of Granada.

In the 8th century in Cordoba, after the Moorish conquest, some 300 mosques and innumerable palaces and public buildings were built to rival the splendours of Constantinople, Damascus and Baghdad

Istanbul's masterpieces include the ancient Hippodrome of Constantine, the 6th-century Hagia Sophia and the 16th-century Süleymaniye Mosque,

Chartres Cathedral marks the high point of French Gothic art. 

The magnificent Abbey Church of Sainte Foy, a child martyred at age 12 and whose relics are enshrined inside.