Redolent with 1,000 years of history, the courtyards and buildings of Edinburgh's main tourist attraction live up to its dominant position.

Edinburgh Castle rises from an extinct volcanic outcrop at the top of the Royal Mile. From the sweep of the Esplanade, used each August for the famous Military Tattoo, the 19th-century Gatehouse gives access to the heart of the castle complex. The oldest building is the 12th-century St Margaret's Chapel, built by David I in memory of his mother, on the highest point of the Castle Rock. Around and below the chapel are the defensive batteries, and buildings such as the 1742 Governor's House, still used as the Governor's official residence, the superb Great Hall with its hammerbeam roof, and the Palace Block, a royal palace from the time of James I. Here, in 1566, Mary, Queen of Scots gave birth to James VI, who was to become James I of England. The Scottish Crown Jewels, the oldest royal regalia in Britain, are the centrepiece of an exhibition telling their story and that of the Stone of Destiny, recently returned to Scotland from Westminster Abbey, where it had lain since Edward I took it south in 1296.