Comares Palace, Granada

The Comares Palace was one of the principal royal residences of the Nasrid rulers and is closely associated with Sultan Yusuf I, who began its construction. He wanted the palace to amaze and awe his visitors, but he did not live to see the finished result. His son, Muhammad V, completed the magnificent façade, which was originally covered with brightly painted stucco carvings and decorated with tiles.

The palace is organized around the famous Court of the Myrtles, whose long reflecting pool creates a central axis through the royal residence. The surrounding rooms are arranged as galleries with porticoes at each end. The two doors in the palace façade lead to different parts of the complex: one opens onto a hall decorated with mocarabes and an intricate wooden ceiling, while the other provides access to the family rooms.

At the northern end are the Hall of the Boat and the Hall of the Ambassadors, inside the enormous Comares Tower. The Hall of the Ambassadors is perhaps the most impressive room in the Alhambra. Its relatively dark interior is illuminated by large windows, three on each wall, with the central window positioned above the throne.

Look upward, and you will see a magnificent wooden ceiling representing the seven heavens that a soul must traverse to reach Allah. Here, architecture, symbolism, and craftsmanship combine to express royal power.

The Comares Palace rewards slow exploration. Pause beside the pool and watch the façade reflected in the water, then follow the carefully framed views toward the tower.