The third, and frequently overlooked, part of The Alhambra is known as The Alcazaba. Offering impressive panoramic views over the city of Granada, it is the earliest and most ruined part of the fortress. It used to be divided from the royal palace by a deep gully, but this was filled in thus creating the area known as the Plaza de los Aljibes.

Prominently situated within the Alcazaba is the Torre de la Vela, named after the huge bell brought from Castile by the conquering Catholic Monarchs. It was here, at 3pm on 2nd January 1492, that the royal standards of Aragón and Castile were hoisted and the Cross first displayed, marking the end of Moorish Spain. It was this sight that drove the distraught Boabdil, leaving Granada for exile in the Alpujarras, to weep at his loss, earning him the famous rebuke from his mother, "Do not weep like a woman for what you could not defend like a man."