Editing Alhambra (section)

===Nasrid palaces===
The royal palace complex consists of three main parts, from west to east: the Mexuar, the Comares Palace, and the Palace of the Lions.{{Efn|Some scholarly descriptions of the palaces treat the Mexuar as merely one part of the larger Comares Palace.{{sfn|Dickie|1992}}{{sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=245, 262}}}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=95}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|pp=155–164}} Collectively, these palaces are also known as the ''Casa Real Vieja'' ('Old Royal Palace'), to distinguish them from the newer palaces erected next to them during the Christian Spanish period.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=155}}{{Sfn|López|2011b|p=283}}

==== Mexuar ====
{{Main|Mexuar}}
[[File:Mexuar, seen from the Patio de Machuca, 16.08.14.jpg|thumb|View of the Mexuar today (with the Comares Tower also visible behind it)]]
The Mexuar is the westernmost part of the palace complex. It was analogous to the [[Mechouar|''mashwar'']]s (or ''mechouar''s) of royal palaces in North Africa.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=269}} It was first built as part of the larger complex begun by Isma'il I which included the Comares Palace. It housed many of the administrative and more public functions of the palace, such as the chancery and the treasury. Its layout consisted of two consecutive courtyards followed by a main hall, all aligned along a central axis from west to east. Little remains of the two western courtyards of the Mexuar today, except for their foundations, a portico, and the water basin of a fountain. The main hall, known as the ''Sala del Mexuar'' or Council Hall, served as a throne hall where the sultan received and judged petitions. This area also granted access to the Comares Palace via the ''Cuarto Dorado'' section on the east side of the Council Hall. Multiple parts of the Mexuar were significantly modified in the post-''Reconquista'' period; notably, the ''Sala del Mexuar'' was converted into a Christian [[chapel]] and additions were made to the ''Cuarto Dorado'' to convert it into a residence. Many of these additions were later removed during modern restorations in the 19th and 20th centuries.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=268–274}}{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=99–106}}

====Comares Palace====
{{Main|Court of the Myrtles}}
[[File:Patio de los Arrayanes Alhambra 02 2014.jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Court of the Myrtles]], the central courtyard of the Comares Palace{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=262–265}}|left]]The Comares Palace was the core of a large palace complex begun by Isma'il I in the early 13th century and subsequently modified and refurbished by Yusuf I and Muhammad V over the course of the same century.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017}} This new palace complex served as the official palace of the sultan and the state, known in Arabic as the ''Qaṣr al-Sultan'' or ''Dār al-Mulk''.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=261}} The Comares Palace was accessed from the west through the Mexuar. An internal façade, known as the Comares Façade, stands on the south side of the ''Patio de Cuarto Dorado'' ('Courtyard of the Gilded Room') at the east edge of the Mexuar. This highly decorated symmetrical façade, with two doors, was the entrance to the palace and likely served in some ceremonial functions.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=109}}{{Sfn|Dickie|1992|p=137}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=159}}[[File:Techo del Salón de Embajadores (la Alhambra), Granada.jpg|thumb|Ceiling of the Hall of the Ambassadors]]The Comares Palace itself is centred around the ''Patio de los Arrayanes'' ('Court of the Myrtles'), a courtyard measuring 23 to 23.5 metres wide and 36.6 metres long, with its long axis aligned roughly north-to-south.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=265}} At the middle, aligned with the main axis of the court, is a wide [[Reflecting pool|reflective pool]]. The pool measures 34 metres long and 7,10 metres wide.<ref>{{cite web |title=Court of the Myrtles |url=https://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/nasridpalaces/courtofthemyrtles.asp |work=Alhambra de Granada |access-date=18 February 2022 |archive-date=27 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160327052348/http://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/placesandspots/courtofthemyrtles.asp |url-status=live }}</ref> The myrtle bushes that are the court's namesake grow in hedges along either side of this pool. Two ornate porticos are situated at the north and south ends of the court, leading to further halls and rooms behind them. The court's decoration contained eleven [[Qasida|''qasā'id'']] by [[Ibn Zamrak]], eight of which remain.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last1=Puerta Vílchez |first1=José Miguel |title=Reading the Alhambra: a visual guide to the Alhambra through its inscriptions |last2=Núñez Guarde |first2=Juan Agustín |date=2011 |publisher=Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife : Edilux |isbn=978-84-86827-62-5 |location=Granada, Spain |oclc=828680669}}</ref> Annexed to the east side of the palace are the Comares Baths, a royal hammam that is exceptionally well-preserved.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=123}}

On the north side of the Court of the Myrtles, inside the massive Comares Tower, is the ''Salón de los Embajadores'' ('Hall of the Ambassadors'), the largest room in the Alhambra. It is accessed by passing through the ''Sala de la Barca'',{{Efn|The name ''barca'' is assumed to derive from the Arabic word ''[[Barakah|baraka]]'', meaning "blessing", which is included in the inscriptions around the hall.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=265}}{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=115–116}}{{Sfn|Dickie|1992|pp=139–140}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|pp=41–42}}}} a wide rectangular hall behind the northern portico of the court. The Hall of the Ambassadors is a square chamber measuring 11.3 metres per side and rising to a height of 18.2 metres.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=266}} This was the throne room or audience chamber of the sultan.{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=43}} The sultan's throne was placed opposite the entrance in front of a recessed double-arched window at the back of the hall.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=118}} In addition to the extensive tile and stucco decoration of the walls, the interior culminates in a large domed ceiling. The ceiling is made of 8017 interlinked pieces of wood that form an abstract geometric representation of the [[Seven Heavens|seven heavens]].{{Sfn|López|2011|p=118}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|pp=43–44}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=159}} The hall and its tower project from the walls of the palace, with windows providing views in three directions. In this sense, it was an enlarged version of a ''mirador'', a room from which the palace's inhabitants could gaze outward to the surrounding landscape.{{Sfn|Dickie|1992|p=}}

====Palace of the Lions====
{{main|Court of the Lions}}
[[File:Palacios Nazaríes in the Alhambra (Granada). (51592334991) (cropped).jpg|alt=|thumb|The [[Court of the Lions]] and its central fountain]]
The Palace of the Lions is one of the most famous palaces in [[Islamic architecture]] and exemplifies the apogee of Nasrid architecture under the reign of Muhammad V.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=164}} Its central rectangular courtyard measures about 28.7 metres long and 15.6 metres wide, with its long axis aligned roughly east-to-west.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=279}} The arches and columns of the surrounding portico are arranged in a complex pattern of single columns alternating with groups of two or three columns, a design that was unique in Islamic architecture.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=279–281}} Two ornate pavilions stand at the east and west sides of the courtyard, while the centre is occupied by the famed Fountain of the Lions. The fountain consists of a large basin surrounded by twelve stylized lion sculptures, all carved from marble.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|pp=282–283}} Along the rim of the fountain's basin is an inscribed poem composed by Ibn Zamrak. This praises the beauty of the fountain and the power of the lions, but it also describes their hydraulic systems and how they worked.<ref>{{harvp|Al-Hassani|Woodcock|Saoud|2007|p=233}}</ref>
[[File:Hall of Kings (Alhambra) 08 (43582411254).jpg|left|thumb|Painted ceiling with Nasrid figures in the Hall of Kings]]
Four halls are arranged around the courtyard. The ''Sala de los Mocárabes'' ('Hall of the ''mocárabes'' (''muqarnas'')'), on the west side, was damaged in 1590 by the explosion of a nearby [[gunpowder magazine]] and its ceiling was replaced by the current Baroque-style plaster vault in 1714.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=132}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|pp=52–53}} The {{Ill|Sala de los Reyes|es|Sala de los Reyes (Alhambra)|italic=y}} ('Hall of Kings'), on the east side, is subdivided into multiple sections covered by ''muqarnas'' vaults. Opening behind these are several more rooms, three of which contain rounded vault ceilings covered by unique pictorial scenes painted on leather.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=284}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=140}} One painting shows ten figures, probably sultans or other important dignitaries, sitting and discussing together.{{sfn|Irwin|2004|pp=53–54}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Echevarria |first=Ana |date=2008 |title=Painting Politics in the Alhambra |url=https://brill.com/view/journals/me/14/2-3/article-p199_3.xml?language=en |journal=Medieval Encounters |language=en |volume=14 |issue=2–3 |pages=203 and after |doi=10.1163/157006708X366254 |issn=1570-0674}}</ref>{{Sfn|López|2011|p=140}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=284}} The two other paintings feature scenes of sports, hunting, and court life.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=140}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=284}} The style of painting was influenced to one extent or another by Christian [[Gothic art]].{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=284}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|pp=53–54}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=140}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dodds |first=Jerrilynn |date=1979 |title=The Paintings in the Sala de Justicia of the Alhambra: Iconography and Iconology |journal=Art Bulletin |volume=61 |issue=2 |pages=186–197 |doi=10.1080/00043079.1979.10787657}}</ref>
[[File:Alhambra Hall of Two Sisters DSCF7585.jpg|thumb|''[[Muqarnas]]'' dome in the Hall of the Two Sisters]]
On the south side of the courtyard, the ''Sala de los Abencerrajes'' ('Hall of the [[Abencerrages]]') derives its name from a legend according to which the father of [[Boabdil]], the last sultan of Granada, having invited the chiefs of that line to a banquet, massacred them here.<ref>Lowe, Alfonso; Hugh Seymour-Davies. ''The Companion Guide to the South of Spain''. Companion Guides, 2000. {{ISBN|9781900639330}}. P. 8.</ref> It is covered by an elaborate ''muqarnas'' vault ceiling, featuring a 16-sided [[Roof lantern|lantern]] cupola in the shape of an [[Octagram|eight-pointed star]], possibly symbolizing the celestial heaven.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=285}}{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=136–138}}{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=163}} On the north side of the courtyard is the ''Sala de Dos Hermanas'' ('Hall of Two Sisters'), so-called because of two large slabs of marble that form part of the pavement. Its original Arabic name was ''al-Qubba al-Kubrā'' ({{Langx|ar|القبة الكبرى|lit=the Great Dome|links=no}}), suggesting it had a particular significance.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=285}} The hall is covered by one of the most remarkable ''muqarnas'' domes in [[Islamic architecture|Islamic art]]. The ''muqarnas'' composition consists of at least 5000 [[Prism (geometry)|prismatic]] pieces, unfolding from the central summit into sixteen miniature domes right above the level of the windows.{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=55}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=145}}

To the north of the ''Sala de Dos Hermanas'', and accessed through it, is the ''Mirador de Lindaraja'', a small projecting room with double-arched windows on three sides which overlook the gardens below. The name ''Lindaraja'' is a corruption of Arabic ''<nowiki/>'Ayn Dar 'Aisha'' ({{Langx|ar|عين دار عائشة|lit=Eye of the House of 'Aisha|links=no}}).{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=9}} This small chamber has some of the most sophisticated carved stucco decoration in the Alhambra and retains original mosaic tilework that features very fine Arabic inscriptions.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=146}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=286}}{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=55}} The room is also covered by a unique vault ceiling consisting of a wooden [[Lattice (order)|lattice]] shaped into an interlacing geometric motif and filled with pieces of [[Glass coloring and color marking|coloured glass]].{{Sfn|López|2011|p=146}}

==== Renaissance apartments and courtyards ====
[[File:Granada 2009-08-10zh.jpg|thumb|The Lindaraja Courtyard, formed in the 16th century]]
To the east of the Comares Palace and the Palace of the Lions is an area of Renaissance-style Christian additions dating primarily from the 16th century. Directly north of the Palace of the Lions is the ''Patio de Lindaraja'' (Lindaraja Courtyard), originally an open garden area but turned into a cloistered garden by the addition of new structures around it during the 16th century. The fountain at its centre features a [[Baroque]] pedestal made in 1626 that supports a Nasrid marble basin installed here at the same time, although a replica now replaces the original basin which is kept at the Alhambra Museum.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=149–159}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Fountain of Lindaraja |url=https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en/elemento-del-mes/the-fountain-of-lindaraja |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219043203/https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en/elemento-del-mes/the-fountain-of-lindaraja |url-status=live }}</ref> On the west and north sides of the courtyard, along the upper floors, are six rooms constructed for Charles V between 1528 and 1537, known as the Emperor's Chambers. The most interesting details of the rooms are a marble fireplace sculpted with the emperor's coat of arms and a ceiling of panels painted with pictures of fruits. The paintings were made around 1537 by Julio Aquiles and Alejandro Mayner.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=149–159}}{{Sfn|Dickie|1992|p=146}} To the west of the Lindaraja Courtyard is the smaller ''Patio de la Reja'' ('Courtyard of the Queen'), located between the Emperor's Chambers and the Comares Tower. A gallery was built around the upper floor of the courtyard between 1654 and 1655.{{Sfn|López|2011|p=156}}

Further north is a tower known as the ''Peinador de la Reina'' ('Queen's Robing Room'), formerly known as the Tower of Abu al-Juyyush.{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=30}} This was originally a stand-alone fortification tower in the Alhambra walls that was probably built in the reign of [[Nasr of Granada|Nasr]] (r. 1309–1314), also known as Abu al-Juyyush. Yusuf I converted it into a small palatial residence with a lantern ceiling and Muhammad V later added decoration around its entrance. Between 1528 and 1537 it was connected to the Emperor's Chambers via a new elevated gallery and an upper level was added to the tower around the existing lantern ceiling.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=155–156}}{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=275}} Between 1539 and 1546 this upper floor was painted by Julio Aquiles and Alejandro Mayner with [[Classical mythology|mythological]] scenes, depictions of Charles V's 1535 [[Conquest of Tunis (1535)|invasion of Tunis]], and more formal [[Roman art|classical]]-like motifs. Later, in 1618, Nasrid-period columns and capitals from other palaces were integrated into the gallery, some of which were later moved to the Alhambra Museum.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=155–156}}

==== Partal Palace and gardens ====
{{Main|Partal Palace|Torre de la Cautiva}}
[[File:Granada Alhambra.jpg|thumb|The [[Partal Palace]]]]
To the east of the Palace of the Lions and the Renaissance additions is the Partal Palace, a pavilion structure on the edge of the Alhambra walls. It was built by Muhammad III, which makes it the oldest surviving palace in the Alhambra today, although it has undergone many alterations since then.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Partal |url=https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en/edificios-lugares/the-partal |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife |language=en-US |archive-date=29 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129154039/https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en/edificios-lugares/the-partal |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Sfn|Barrucand|Bednorz|1992|p=189}}{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=165–167}} Its south side has a portico and faces a large reflective pool, while a mirador projects from its north side over the walls. Next to it is a small but richly decorated oratory containing a [[mihrab]].{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=162–173}} Beyond the Partal is an area of gardens stretching along the northern wall of the Alhambra. Several towers along this northern wall were converted into small palatial residences during the Nasrid period, including the ''Torre de los Picos'' ("Tower of the Pointed Battlements"),<ref>{{Cite web |title=The tower of the Pointed Embattlements |url=https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en/edificios-lugares/the-tower-of-the-pointed-embattlements |access-date=2022-02-10 |website=Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210061749/https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/en/edificios-lugares/the-tower-of-the-pointed-embattlements |url-status=live }}</ref> the ''Torre de la Cautiva'' ("Tower of the Captive"), and the ''Torre de las Infantas'' ("Tower of the Princesses").{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=189–198}} For tourists visiting the Alhambra today, all these areas are accessible after passing through the main Nasrid Palaces, although the palace-towers are not normally open to visitors.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=150–191}}<ref>{{Cite web |title=Alhambra {{!}} Granada, Spain Attractions |url=https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/granada/attractions/alhambra/a/poi-sig/430192/360733 |access-date=2022-02-10 |website=Lonely Planet |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210061751/https://www.lonelyplanet.com/spain/granada/attractions/alhambra/a/poi-sig/430192/360733 |url-status=live }}</ref>{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=59}}