- BGG rating
- 7.1
Alhambra: The City Gates
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2004
- BGG rank
- BGG #617
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Alhambra
2003
Rules assistance for Alhambra
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 8+
- Complexity 2.1/5
For 2 players
Rules assistant for Alhambra
What would you like to know?
Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
Alhambra is a board game released in 2003 for 2–6 players, 45–60 minutes per game, and ages 8 and up. It was designed by Dirk Henn and its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence.
Expansions
- BGG rating
- 6.9
Alhambra: The Vizier's Favor
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2004
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Alhambra: The Thief's Turn
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2005
- BGG rating
- 7.1
Alhambra: The Treasure Chamber
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2006
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Alhambra: Power of the Sultan
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.4/5
- 2008
- BGG rating
- 7.2
Alhambra: The Falconers
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2013
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Alhambra: Queenie 2 – Medina
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2014
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Alhambra: Designers' Expansion – Alhambra Zoo / Buildings of Power / Travelling Craftsmen
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 8.0
Alhambra: Designers' Expansion – Bathhouses / Wishing Well / Palace Designers
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Alhambra: Designers' Expansion – Extensions / The New Building Ground
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Alhambra: Designers' Expansion – Handymen / Gates Without End / Fresh Color
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.9
Alhambra: Designers' Expansion – Orchard / Major Construction Projects
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Alhambra: Designers' Expansion – Palace Staff
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 7.7
Alhambra: Designers' Expansions Box
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 8.3
Alhambra: Designers' Expansion – The Personal Building Markets / Caliph's Guidlines / Treasures
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- 2019
- BGG rating
- 8.3
Alhambra: New Market
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 1.0/5
- 2021
- BGG rating
- 9.0
Alhambra: Building Sites
- 2024
Similar games
- BGG rating
- 7.5
Alhambra: Big Box
- 2–6 players
- 60 min
- Complexity 2.3/5
- 2009
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,031
- BGG rating
- 6.4
Alhambra: The Card Game
- 2–6 players
- 45 min
- Complexity 1.7/5
- 1992
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,956
- BGG rating
- 6.7
New York
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2011
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,830
- BGG rating
- 6.8
The Rose King
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 1992
- BGG rank
- BGG #71
- BGG rating
- 8.2
Lisboa
- 1–4 players
- 60–120 min
- Complexity 4.6/5
- 2017
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,179
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Granada
- 2–6 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 2.2/5
- 2009
- BGG rank
- BGG #757
- BGG rating
- 7.8
Yellow & Yangtze
- 2–4 players
- 90 min
- Complexity 3.1/5
- 2018
- BGG rank
- BGG #1,790
- BGG rating
- 7.6
Iliad
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.0/5
- 2025
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,073
- BGG rating
- 7.3
Stellar
- 2 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 2.1/5
- 2020
- BGG rank
- BGG #2,901
- BGG rating
- 7.0
Undergrove
- 1–4 players
- 60–75 min
- Complexity 2.9/5
- 2024
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,116
- BGG rating
- 6.2
Gaïa
- 2–5 players
- 30 min
- Complexity 1.9/5
- 2014
- BGG rank
- BGG #5,796
- BGG rating
- 6.2
The Gardens of the Alhambra
- 2–4 players
- 45–60 min
- Complexity 1.8/5
- 1993
About the game
Granada, 1278. At the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, one of the most exciting and interesting project of the Spanish Middle Ages begins: the construction of the ALHAMBRA. The best master builders in the whole of Europe and Arabia want to demonstrate their skill. Employ the most suitable teams of builders and make sure that you always have enough of the right currency. Because no matter whether they are stonemasons from the north or horticulturalists from the south, they all want a proper wage and insist on their "native" currency. With their help towers can be constructed, gardens laid out, pavilions and arcades erected and seraglios and chambers built. In Alhambra, players are acquiring buildings to be placed within their Alhambra complex. The money in Alhambra comes in four different currencies and is available in the open money market. The 54 buildings of six types become available for purchase in the building market four at a time; one building is available in each of the four different currencies. On a player's turn, a player may 1) take money from the open money market, 2) purchase a building from the building market and either place it in his Alhambra or reserve, or 3) engage in construction and re-construction projects with buildings that have been placed in the player's Alhambra or reserve. The game rewards efficiency, as when a player purchases a building from the market for the exact amount of money, the player may take another turn. Players with the most buildings in each of the six building types in his Alhambra score in each of the scoring phases, and points are awarded for players' longest external "wall" section within their complex. The game ends when the building market can no longer be replenished from the building tile supply, and there is a final scoring, whereupon the player with the highest score wins.
Categories
Designers
Publishers
- Devir
- Kaissa Chess & Games
- Enigma (Bergsala Enigma)
- Rebel Sp. z o.o.
- KADABRA
- Boardgame Space
- Tilsit
- Korea Boardgames
- Piatnik
- Queen Games
- G3
- Lautapelit.fi
- Asterion Press
- Flick Game Studio
- Überplay
- Corfix
- Evrikus
- Piatnik Distribution
Questions and answers
Alhambra supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for Alhambra is 45–60 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists Alhambra for ages 8 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
Alhambra has a complexity rating of 2.1 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a medium-light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
Alhambra belongs to these categories: Medieval and City Building. Its main mechanics are Hand Management, Set Collection, and Area Majority / Influence. Categories describe the theme and setting of a game, while mechanics describe what players actually do on their turns. Each mechanic links to a catalogue hub with similar games, which helps when you want something comparable.
The credited designers of Alhambra are: Dirk Henn. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists Alhambra as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.