Al-Muqtadir, ruler of the Taifa of Zaragoza, ordered the palace as a symbol of his power. It was mostly completed between 1065 and 1081, though calligraphic reliefs date the first phase to 1065 to 1080. The article names Al-Halifa Zuhayr as architect. The plan follows desert-castle models from Syria and Jordan, a square with towers and a central courtyard with pools. The article credits it with the first appearance of mixtilinear arches. The Troubadour Tower dates either to the late 9th or the second half of the 10th century.
After Alfonso I conquered it in 1118 it served the Aragonese kings. The Catholic Monarchs built a palace in the north wing, with a throne room whose coffered ceiling is 66 by 26 feet (20 by 8 m). Philip II converted it into a citadel in 1591.
Francisco Íñiguez began restoration in 1947. It is now the seat of the Cortes of Aragon, and UNESCO listed it in 2001.
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