Discover Spain - Alhmabra - Part 5

ROOM OF THE KINGS (SALA DE LOS REYES)

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Named thus because of the painting which occupies the vault of the central space, it occupies all the eastern part of the patio. It is the largest area of ​​Harén (the private area) and was probably used for family celebrations. It is divided into three equal and two smaller rooms that could be wardrobes because of their location and lack of illumination. On the vault in the center, the paintings represent the first ten kings of Granada since the foundation of the kingdom, one of which with a red beard is perhaps Mohamed ben Nazar, or Al-Hamar the red, founder of the Nasrid dynasty. The side vaults house paintings of the late fourteenth century that represent knights and ladies. Following an artistic exchange in the time of Pedro I of Castile who had asked the King of Granada to help restore the Alcazar of Seville, the paintings are a very particular and laborious technique:

1- Planks of well planed wood form an ellipse
2- Wet leather extends over the concave surface, glued by glue and small nails with square head covered with tin to prevent oxidation
3- On the leather, a layer of plaster and glue 2 cm thick is dark and painted red. The patterns are drawn on this layer with a punch.

The arches separating the stay perpendicularly show intrados filled with mocarabes, and their facings are covered with stucco on which appear nasride symbols but also Christians. The overall appearance of the room with its decorated arches may recall some models of Almohad mosques.

THE ROOM OF THE TWO SISTERS (SALA DE LAS DOS HERMANAS)

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We leave the Court of Lions by the opposite side to the Hall of the Abencérages. A wooden door inlaid with motifs (taracea), one of the most beautiful of the palace and one of the best preserved (currently preserved in the Alhambra Museum) opens the Room of the Two Sisters. The name comes from the two white marble slabs, exactly equal in size, color and weight, which are on the ground on either side of the central fountain. The room has a magnificent viewpoint, very famous in the era of Charles V, the viewpoint of Lindaraja (or Daraxa) from which one has a view of Granada. The room also communicates directly with the baths.

As in most of the Alhambra, the hall is covered with poems. In each room of the Haren are two small doors: one overlooking the top Haren, the second on a latrine. There was no kitchen. The kitchen was outside or sometimes we used a stove.

THE MIRADOR OF LINDARAJA (OR MIRADOR OF DARAXA)

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At the back of the previous room illuminates the balcony of Lin-dar-Aixa. This viewpoint overlooks the Río Darro Valley and can be seen from afar in Granada. The Lindaraja Garden, Italian with a Renaissance fountain and a cupola in Arabic marble was built following the construction of the Pavilion of Charles V, which made the view much less interesting. The decoration of the mirador is of Lindaraja is particularly rich, and in the middle of the magnificent stuccoes one can read the following poem: "I am of this garden the fresh eye" (...) "In me, he sees Granada, since his throne" .

THE EMPREUR'S QUARTERS (HABITACIONES DEL EMPERADOR)

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This is what is called the six rooms that were built at the Alhambra during the reign of Charles V, between 1528 and 1537, so that he stayed there, especially on his honeymoon. They give on one side on the Patio Lindajara, and on the other on the Patio de la Reja. It was also the home of the American writer Washington Irving during his stay at the Alhambra. A marble plaque commemorates his passage, which bore the fruit of the "Accounts of the Alhambra", which he wrote in 1829.

THE CABINET OF THE QUEEN (EL PEINADOR DE REINA)

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It is a tower of the Alhambra also called Abul-Hachach that the Sultan used to meditate and rest. It was renovated after the Christian conquest. The upper floor could serve as a bathroom for Queen Elizabeth Farnese. Its structure shows Roman influences by the presence of the mirador, the gallery and the pictorial decorations.

EL PARTAL

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This is the area where the servants of the palace resided. There are gardens and walks, the ruins of the Palace of Yusuf III, one of the seven Palaces in the Alhambra, the Tower of the Falsa Rauda, ​​the Tower of the Captive (Torre de la Cautiva) which with the Tower of the Infantas are like two small palaces posed on the way of round. The Tower of the Captive is a construction of Yusuf I and is named after Isabel de Solís who, as the name indicates, was captive. The Infantas Tower, built in 1445 and best preserved. This is a beautiful example of vivienda andalusi, and the place of residence of Sisters Zaida, Zoraida and Zorahaida whose story and narrated by Washington Irving in the "Accounts of the Alhambra"

CYPRUS COURT (PATIO OF REJA OR LOS CIPRESES)

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It is reached by the last of the rooms of Charles V, the time of which dates its construction.

THE BATHS (HAMMAM)

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The jewel of the Arab habitat. The bath, for the Muslim, is a religious obligation. The construction is a copy of the Roman terms. There are three rooms:

1- The cloakroom and rest room, with beds. This is the room where the visitors undressed, then went to the bath, and came back to rest. We could bring them food. In the upper gallery were musicians and singers.
2- The massage room or to refresh. These are two galleries with arches.
3- The steam room, smaller. The vaults were opened by star-shaped skylights, which at the time were filled with colored windows, but not sealed, so that the fresh air could enter the room, and the steam out.