Editing Alhambra (section)

=== General design ===
[[File:Alhambra by Juan Laurent.jpg|thumb|Mullioned windows of the Hall of the Two Sisters in the Alhambra, by [[Jean Laurent (photographer)|Jean Laurent]], c. 1874. Stucco decoration can be seen on the upper walls while geometric tile mosaic is seen below.]]The design and decoration of the Nasrid palaces are a continuation of [[Moorish architecture|Moorish (western Islamic) architecture]] from earlier centuries but developed their own characteristics.{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=219}} The combination of carefully-proportioned courtyards, water features, gardens, arches on slender columns, and intricately-sculpted [[stucco]] and [[tile]] decoration gives Nasrid architecture qualities that are described as ethereal and intimate.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=166}}<ref name=":0522">{{Cite book |last=Tabbaa |first=Yasser |title=Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three |publisher=Brill |year=2007 |editor-last=Fleet |editor-first=Kate |location= |pages= |language=en |chapter=Architecture |issn=1873-9830 |editor2-last=Krämer |editor2-first=Gudrun |editor3-last=Matringe |editor3-first=Denis |editor4-last=Nawas |editor4-first=John |editor5-last=Rowson |editor5-first=Everett}}</ref><ref name=":242">{{Cite book |last= |first= |title=The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=9780195309911 |editor-last=Bloom |editor-first=Jonathan M. |location= |pages= |language=en |chapter=Architecture; VI. c. 1250–c. 1500; D. Western Islamic lands |editor2-last=Blair |editor2-first=Sheila S.}}</ref>{{Sfn|Irwin|2004|p=49}} Walls were built mostly in [[rammed earth]], [[Lime mortar|lime concrete]], or [[brick]] and then covered with [[plaster]], while wood (mostly [[pine]]) was used for roofs, ceilings, doors, and window shutters.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=166}}{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=282–286}}

Buildings were designed to be seen from within, with their decoration focused on the inside.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=166}} The basic unit of Nasrid palace architecture was a rectangular [[courtyard]] with a pool, fountain, or water channel at its centre.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=164}} Courtyards were flanked on two or four sides by halls, often preceded by [[Arcade (architecture)|arcaded]] porticoes. Many of these structures featured a ''[[Mirador (architecture)|mirador]]'', a room projecting from the exterior commanding scenic views of gardens or of the city.<ref name=":24" />{{Sfn|Arnold|2017|p=219}} Buildings were designed with a mathematical proportional system that gives them a harmonious visual quality.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=166}}{{Sfn|López|2011|p=260}} The layout of the courtyards, the distribution of windows, and the use of water features were designed with the climate in mind, cooling and ventilating the environment in summer while minimizing cold drafts and maximizing sunlight in winter.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=166}}{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=267–268, 275}} Upper-floor rooms were smaller and more enclosed, making them more suited for use during the winter.{{Sfn|Bloom|2020|p=166}} Courtyards were usually aligned in a north–south direction which allows the main halls to receive direct sunlight at midday during the winter, while during the summer the higher midday sun is blocked by the position and depth of the porticos fronting these halls.{{Sfn|López|2011|pp=267}}<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wilmert |first=Todd |date=2010 |title=Alhambra Palace Architecture: An Environmental Consideration of Its Inhabitation |url=https://www.archnet.org/publications/9489 |journal=Muqarnas |volume=27 |pages=157–188|doi=10.1163/22118993_02701008 }}</ref>