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- Nasrid Palaces
Palatial complex, residence of the kings of Granada. The dynasty's founder, Alhamar, begins to build it in the 13th century, although the buildings that have survived to this day date, mainly, from the 14th century. These palaces contain within their walls the refinement and delicacy of the last Spanish-Arab governors of Al Andalus, the Nasrids.
Three palaces form this enclosure: The Mexuar, The Palace of Comares, or Yusuf I and the Palace of the Lions, or Mohammed V.
The intimate concept of the royal palace, closed in the eyes of the curious, harmonizes the robustness of the outer cloths with the fragility of the interior, where the architectural elements become purely ornamental. The poor materials with which the palaces are decorated highlight the temporality of the construction with respect to the cosmos, proof of the transience of man. The courtyards, continuous allusions to the garden, with elements of Persian and Muslim inspiration, are the anticipation of paradise , nomad oasis, enjoy the senses. Water, an element that shapes the palace, combining the garden with architecture, represents purity; crystalline water that runs between the marbles of the fountains; water of life that gives richness and freshness to the garden, aesthetic beauty, generosity of the sultan ... a whole world of symbols and stimuli.