The Nasrid Palaces are an essential part of the Alhambra which are built from the thirteenth century with the intention of being the residences of the sultans. Three palaces form this enclosure: The Mexuar, the Palace of Comares and the Palace of the Lions.
The special of the Nasrid Palaces is that they differ from the rest by their intimacy. This makes them stand out differences with the rest of the rooms.
The first we see is the Mexuar, which is the outermost. This place was the room where they waited for the Sultan to deliver Justice in case of any conflict, he also met the surah (Council of Ministers) to propose the changes that the city needed and inform the Sultan.
Over the years it was rebuilt by the different sultans and only the four central columns of the hall remain in their original form; In the fifteenth century, after the Capture of Granada by the Catholic Monarchs, it worked like chapel. The writings on its walls stand out "The kingdom is of God", demonstrating once again the connection of the kingdom with its faith.
The Palace of Comares: is official residence of the monarch Arabic full Alhambra.
It is a group of residences around the Patio de los Arrayanes where the game of water and sun create the simulation of movements in the reflections they exert on the environment. These residences were for the wives of the sultan and his offspring.
The sultan could have up to a maximum of four women who would bring him wisdom, knowledge, art, although nothing was written about the sultans of the Alhambra, since writing about the female element is prohibited, they implied the intimacy of the sultan and his family . Some sources say that just as there were nonsense between them, some also lived in harmony and even had romances between them.
At the southern end of the Patio de los Arrayanes is the Ambassadors Room and an antechamber known today as The Boat Room (in which you waited for an audience with the sultan and its original name was the Sala Baraka, which in Arabic means "luck"), this is how the Christians named it upon their arrival since the roof looks like a wooden boat in reverse. It is interesting how in Ambassadors room creates an optical effect of blindness at the moment of entering the dark room coming from the bright patio with intense flashes of the Sun, what the Sultan wanted was to disconcert the person who entered since his sight was already adapted and he saw coming first to who entered the room giving him a certain advantage.
Many people despise parts of this room for having graffiti but if you look closely, many signatures are from adventurers from centuries ago when they made their trips to Spain and visited the Alhambra, an example is Washington Irvin.
With Yusuf I Many restorations were carried out in this Patio, but of course his best work was the Palace of the Lions.
This Palace transmits emotions since its art has evolved and is no longer less minimalist, the lights match the colors, and the sound of the water with the dancing reflections on the canals. This area was the most private, its function was intended for rest, the most intimate leisure or attracting visits of the highest rank and complicity, since the harem, it is the most sacred place that exists, the resting place of the sultanas, so intimate it was that we can find portraits of people on some ceilings, a quality that will never be seen in Islamic public rooms. There are twelve lions, all different from each other, with a dodecahedral fountain that houses the most relevant poetry of the citadel of the Alhambra. This room will always be the great enigma of experts and scholars on the subject.
The palace has a courtyard surrounded by galleries like a Christian cloister, with different rooms:
La Room of the Mocárabes, this room is located at the beginning and is named for its muqarnas vault, the plasterwork of its walls also stands out.
The Hall of the Kings, called the Hall of Justice, shows the kings in different paintings. The most notable shows the first 10 kings of the Nasrid dynasty.
The Hall of the Two Sisters, whose name comes from the millimetric accuracy and the same weight of the two central pieces of marble on the floor. This room includes Lindaraja Viewpoint, and on the upper floor the resting rooms of the Sultanas,The Hall of Abencerrajes, the sultan's chambers, where legend has it that the royal guard was assassinated there, beheading them one by one, for which reason it is said that the red color inside, next to the main fountain, is from the blood that still conserves the memory of the massacre.
And all this is only a brief part of the wonders that the Alhambra showsFor this and much more, this visit should be essential if you come to Granada: Alhambra Tour with Nasrid Palaces from Granada.