In Alhambra, players are acquiring buildings to be placed within their Alhambra complex.

On a player's turn, a player may take money from the open money market, purchase a building from the building market, or engage in construction and re-construction projects with buildings that have been placed in the player's 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 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.

The golden anniversary edition version of the 2003 Spiel des Jahres offers new game material. This includes wooden fountains and an embroidered cloth bag adding more atmosphere to the game! This is a perfect gift for fans of Alhambra! The material is completely compatible with all the published expansions.