Alhambra

The Alhambra (/ælˈhæmbrə/; Spanish: [aˈlambɾa]; Arabic: الْحَمْرَاء‎ [ʔælħæmˈɾˠɑːʔ], Al-Ḥamrā, lit. "the red one"), the complete form of which was Calat Alhamra, is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It was originally constructed as a small fortress in 889 and then largely ignored until its ruins were renovated and rebuilt in the mid-13th century by the Moorish emir Mohammed ben Al-Ahmar of the Emirate of Granada, who built its current palace and walls. It was converted into a royal palace in 1333 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada.

Alhambra's Islamic palaces, as we know them today, were built for the last Muslim emirs in Spain and the court of the Nasrid dynasty. After the conquest of Granada by the Reyes Católicos ("Catholic Monarchs") in 1492, some portions were used by Christian rulers. The Palace of Charles V, built by Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor in 1527, was inserted in the Alhambra within the Nasrid fortifications. After being allowed to fall into disrepair for centuries, the buildings being occupied by squatters, Alhambra was rediscovered in the 19th century by European scholars and travelers, with restorations commencing. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions, exhibiting the country's most significant and well known Islamic architecture, together with 16th-century and later Christian building and garden interventions. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the inspiration for many songs and stories.

Alhambra (board game)

Alhambra (German: Der Palast von Alhambra, literally "The Palace of the Alhambra") is a 2003 tile-based German-style board game designed by Dirk Henn. It was originally published in Germany by Queen Games in a language-interdependent version; an English-specific version was released in North America by the now-defunct Überplay. The game is an Arabian-themed update, set during the construction of the Alhambra palace in 14th century Granada, of the 1998 stock trading board game Stimmt So!, which in turn was an update of the 1992 mafia influence board game Al Capone; the original version was subsequently released as Alhambra: The Card Game.

Alhambra won the Spiel des Jahres award, the Schweizer Spielepreis for Family Games, the As d'Or and the Essen Feather for the year of its release and placed second in the Deutscher Spiele Preis. Its success has led to the release of numerous expansion packs and spin-off games, and is becoming Queen Games' flagship franchise.

Gameplay

Alhambra, Blackpool

The Alhambra was an entertainment complex in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, from 1899–1903. A financial disaster, the building was bought by the Blackpool Tower Company and reopened in 1904 as the Palace. The building was demolished in 1961 to make way for Lewis's department store.

Construction

The land on which the Alhambra was built was originally the site of the Prince of Wales Theatre and Baths, which had opened in 1877. The Alhambra (Blackpool) Limited company was formed, with support from local publican and former acrobat Henry Brooks. £220,000 was authorised for the build and shares in the company were offered to the general public in 1897. They sold out immediately; 3/5 of the shareholders came from Lancashire, and 1/8 from Blackpool. Against competition from Frank Matcham and C. J. Phipps, architects Wylson & Long of London won the design contract. The foundation stone was laid on 18 December 1897 and the building work, undertaken by Whitehead & Son of Blackpool, took two years to complete.

Siegfried

Siegfried is a German language male given name, composed from the Germanic elements sig "victory" and frithu "protection, peace". The German name has the Old Norse cognate Sigfriðr, Sigfrøðr, which gives rise to Swedish Sigfrid (hypocorisms Sigge, Siffer), Danish/Norwegian Sigfred. In Norway, Sigfrid is given as a feminine name.

The name is medieval, and did survive in marginal use into the modern period, but after 1876 it enjoyed renewed popularity due to Wagner's Siegfried.

Notable people with the name include:

Siegfried (band)

Siegfried is a heavy metal band from Austria that was founded in 1998 by Bruder Cle, aka Hagen, who was later joined by Daniel Bachmaier (ex Sarcasm Syndrome), a.k.a. Ortwin, and former Dreams of Sanity singer Sandra Schleret. In 2000 they released a demo CD called Fafnir. Later in 2000 they were signed to Napalm Records, releasing their first album, Drachenherz, in 2001. Their second album, Eisenwinter, was released in 2003. The lyrics of Siegfried are based on and inspired by the Nibelung Saga.

According to Sandra Schleret as of April 25, 2008, "Siegfried is still together and working on a new album (pre-production is finished except the vocals for two songs.)"

In May 2009 Siegfried recorded their third album, Nibelung, in Alex Krull's well-known Mastersound studios. Nibelung was released in November 2009.

Line-up

List of Soul characters

A comprehensive list of characters from the Soul series of fighting games produced by Namco.

Overall conception and development

The Soul series is a weapon-based fighting game franchise developed by Namco Bandai's Project Soul division and consists of eight games: Soul Edge, Soulcalibur, Soulcalibur II, Soulcalibur III, Soulcalibur Legends, Soulcalibur IV, Soulcalibur: Broken Destiny and Soulcalibur V. Set in the 16th century, the plot of the games revolve around Soul Edge, a cursed sword able to possess its wielder and devour souls. Its sprit is called Inferno, and his avatar/host is called Nightmare. Soul Calibur, a holy sword and Soul Edge's antithesis, also has a spirit called Elysium.

Characters

With each character, their weapon was decided upon before other aspects were. The design was then built to revolve around it, starting with gender, then physical measurements, and lastly background details. Once established, appearance and movement were fleshed out by the team's concept artist and rendered as a 3D model by a design team that worked solely on the character. The completed model was then animated by a motion capture artist working directly with the team. During this phase the team additionally worked with the story creators, refining the character's own role in the plot as needed throughout development. In the course of the series, two characters have been an exception to the process: Johan Druer, a berserker exclusive to the Soulcalibur Japanese player's guide, and Necrid, a character co-produced with Todd McFarlane that appears in Soulcalibur II.