Ismail I of Granada

Ismail I was the grandson of Muhammed II al-Faqih and the fifth Nasrid ruler of Granada in Iberia. Ismail I was born in 1279, son of the princess Fatima, daughter of Muhammed II al-Faqih and nephew of both sultans Muhammed III and Nasr I. His father was Abu Sa'id Faraj, also a cousin as well as brother in-law to the sultans Muhammed III and Nasr I, and his own wife Fatima. He significantly added to the Alhambra complex and the palace of Generalife. He also built the Alcazar Genil, which functioned as a residence for the elderly women of the sultan’s household. Ismail I fathered at least four sons: Muhammed, Ismail, Faraj and Yusef; two of whom would succeed him respectively as Muhammed IV and Yusef I. Ismail I died on July 6, 1325, a victim of assassination by his cousin. Servants carried the dying Ismail I to his mother Fatima’s chambers where he perished from his wounds.