From its every nook and cranny, the Alhambra quietly speaks. Walls, columns, fountains and other pieces of Europe's crown jewel of Muslim architecture boast ornate Arabic inscriptions that even native speakers might struggle to decipher. This month, Spanish researchers unveiled the first fruit of ...

For centuries visitors to the Alhambra fortress-palace in Granada, built by Spain's medieval Moorish rulers, have wondered what the thousands of Arabic inscriptions that are carved into its walls and ceilings mean. Now researchers, armed with modern technology such as digital cameras and 3D laser scanners, have embarked on a mission to catalogue and decipher for the first time ...