| Court of the Lions | |
|---|---|
Patio de los Leones | |
 Fountain and eastern pavilion of the courtyard | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Palace |
| Architectural style | Moorish (Nasrid period) |
| Location | Alhambra, Granada, Spain |
| Coordinates | 37°10′37.44″N 3°35′21.36″W / 37.1770667°N 3.5892667°W |
| Construction started | 1362 |
| Completed | between 1377 and 1390 |
| Technical details | |
| Material | brick, wood, stucco, marble |
The Court of the Lions (Spanish: Patio de los Leones) or Palace of the Lions (Spanish: Palacio de los Leones) is a palace in the heart of the Alhambra, a historic citadel formed by a complex of palaces, gardens and forts in Granada, Spain. It was commissioned by the Nasrid sultan Muhammad V of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus. Its construction started in the second period of his reign, between 1362 and 1391 AD. Along with the Alhambra, the palace is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[1] It was minted in Spain's 2011 limited edition of €2 Commemorative Coins.
The Palace of the Lions is one of the most famous palaces in Islamic architecture and exemplifies the apogee of Nasrid architecture in Al-Andalus.[2] The architecture of the palace presented a significant shift in the design of Nasrid palaces and introduced new trends in ornamentation.[3][4] The building consists of a rectangular courtyard centered on a marble fountain with twelve sculpted lions. Four main halls surround the courtyard, along with some upper-floor rooms. Water channels connect the central fountain with smaller fountains in the four halls. The halls feature some of the most elaborate and sophisticated muqarnas vaults in the Islamic world.[5][6]
- ^ "Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved 2020-07-30.
- ^ Bloom 2020, p. 164.
- ^ Arnold 2017, p. 278-287.
- ^ Bloom 2020, p. 167.
- ^ López 2011, p. 145.
- ^ Tabbaa, Yasser (2007). "Architecture". In Fleet, Kate; Krämer, Gudrun; Matringe, Denis; Nawas, John; Rowson, Everett (eds.). Encyclopaedia of Islam, Three. Brill. ISSN 1873-9830.