Nasrid Palaces: Mexuar, Myrtles and Comares Tower
Why is it significant?
Cross the threshold into the Mexuar, the earliest preserved council hall of the Nasrid Palaces, where the sultan held administrative audiences and administered justice to his subjects.
Key Facts
| Place | Nasrid Palaces: Mexuar, Myrtles and Comares Tower |
|---|---|
| Address | Calle Real de la Alhambra s/n, 18009 Granada, Spain |
| Geo Coordinates | 37.17780, -3.58950 |
| Part of Walk | The Alhambra and Generalife: Nasrid Palaces, Fortress and Royal Gardens |
| Generated | Generated |
Cross the threshold into the Mexuar, the earliest preserved council hall of the Nasrid Palaces, where the sultan held administrative audiences and administered justice to his subjects. Four central marble columns with carved capitals support a magnificent carved wooden ceiling, leading toward a private prayer oratory whose pointed horseshoe arch frame frames enchanting views of the river Darro. Continuing through the Golden Room courtyard with its muqarnas facade, you enter the ceremonial heart of the complex: the Palace of Comares, constructed by Yusuf the First. The walls are adorned with elaborate plaster lacework displaying Arabic inscriptions that praise the divine power and record verses composed by court viziers such as Ibn Zamrak and Ibn al-Khatib.
Step out into the serene Court of the Myrtles: an expansive rectangular reflecting pool of white marble, framed by fragrant emerald myrtle hedges, perfectly mirrors the towering forty-five-meter Comares Tower against the sky. Step inside the tower to enter the Hall of the Ambassadors, the grand throne room of the sultans, crowned by a staggering dome of Spanish cedar composed of eight thousand and seventeen interlocking pieces of wood that represent the seven heavens of Islamic cosmology surmounted by the divine throne.
The walls are enveloped in an intricate lace-like skin of carved plasterwork inscribed with poetic verses by grand vizier Ibn Zamrak and geometric dadoes of glazed tiles showcasing mathematical symmetries of infinite complexity. Throughout the rooms, the Nasrid dynastic motto appears inscribed thousands of times: «Wa la galib illa Allah», meaning «There is no conqueror but God».
In this very throne room, Sultan Boabdil agreed to the terms of surrender in 1492, and months later, Christopher Columbus presented his transatlantic voyage proposals to the Catholic Monarchs.
Walk through the passageway into the private residential palace of Muhammad the Fifth to behold the world-famous Court of the Lions.