#and reminds her of the sultan from 1001 arabian nights

[triviareads]

everyone else in The Viscount Always Knocks Twice: running for their lives whenever Mr. Garrity enters a room

Gabby Billings: Twirling her hair and giggling every time he's mentioned because he's SUCH a Nice Man.

everyone else in The Viscount Always Knocks Twice: "We must find this acrobat's MURDERER and everyone in the house party is a suspect!"

Adam Garrity: wooing his future wife by having his henchmen beat up all her bullies and demanding that they keep her dance card full except for waltzes because THOSE ARE HIS

[eilisabella]

Ablutions Courtyard, Sultan’s “Office,” Court of Lions, & Sultan’s Chambers (+ Harem)

We entered the Ablutions Courtyard where the Muslim occupants prepared themselves to pray (which, as you know, they do 5 times a day).

#AblutionsCourtyardLeft

#AblutionsCourtyardRight

This fountain is perhaps one of the loveliest things I’ve ever seen!

#AblutionsCourtyardFountain 

We moved on to what I believe is the most famous area of the Alhambra: The Court of Lions. 

Of course, the walkway/entrance to the Court of Lions is nearly as lovely as the courtyard itself. Imagine the time, blood, sweat, and tears it took to create this heaven on earth!

Near to the Ablutions Courtyard, there was another lovely fountain courtyard, adjacent to the Sultan’s “Office.”

#FountainCourtyard

At the far end of this courtyard, you can see a doorway. Within this doorway is the chamber in which the Sultan conducted his day to day business. (Naturally, a Sultan who was not old enough to select his own wife - see below - was “advised” by a Vizier, who may or may not have been an older relative (and who may or may not have been influenced by the Sultan’s mother).

The advisers sat to the right (i.e., right-hand man) and left of the Sultan.

#Sultan’s”Office”

The 2 alcoves you see above were used by the Sultan (left) and an adviser (right).

The alcoves you see below were those used by the Sultan’s brothers.

#Sultan’sBrothers’Alcoves

#Entrance2CourtofLions

#CeilingEntrance2CourtofLions 

The fountain itself is a work of art. There are 12 lions. Some say that they represent the 12 tribes of Israel (and so were perhaps a gift to the Sultan from Jews in the city). Did you know that there are also 12 tribes of Ishmael, the son of Abraham by Hagar, the servant of his wife?

#FountainCourtofLions

I suppose it’s only natural that the Sultan would situate his own chambers directly adjacent to the magnificent Court of Lions. The entrance to these chambers is also a work of art.

#EntranceSultan’sChambers

One of the things that I’ve always loved about Moorish architecture is the wood carving. The size of the impressive portals are impressive enough, but the carving that was done was even moreso.

We’ve lost the ability to make things like this. Our high-tech world doesn’t hold a candle to this amazing awesomeness!

#Entrance2Sultan’sChambers

The mosaic tiling you see here has become a hallmark of Spanish decor. I’ve seen similar work on the fronts of houses in Cadiz as well as in Sevilla, Gibraltar, and Barcelona. Spain has the Umayyad Empire to thank for this lovely addition to their culture.

#EntranceSultan’sChambers

The ceiling... The ceiling reflects heaven. 

Or perhaps the universe.

The myriad points of light in this ceiling...

Our Western, Renaissance minds appreciate the Sistine Chapel and we can picture Michaelangelo lying on a scaffold on his back, painting, but can you imagine the effort expended to do this?

(Granted, some of the work was done using molds and plaster, others using marble, limestone, and other carve-able materials, but still... (and given my lack of spirituality, this is a significant statement): Can one not see the hand of God in this work?)

#CeilingSultan’sChambers

#CeilingSultan’sChambers

And the Court of Lions one last time before moving on to the Harem.

#CourtofLionsfromSultan’sChambers

I’m not sure how many wives the Sultan had. I’m sure there were a lot. Becoming the wife of the Sultan, or at least a member of his Harem, was a “way out” for many daughters within the kingdom. Unable to provide for their daughters, families would present the lovely young ladies at Court, hoping that the king’s mother would like them and take them in, considering them as candidates to wed the Sultan (who was sometimes not old enough to make this critical decision for himself).

In the case of this particular Sultan, there were 4 “chief wives.” The wife who produced the first heir would be considered the Chief Wife (and would one day do for her son what her husband’s mother had done for him; select a wife).

If you’ve read 1001 Arabian Nights, you have a feel for what life might have been like in this place and time. In reality, we have very little information about this place and time, for any records that existed were undoubtedly destroyed when the Muslims were expelled.

While there might have been a larger “harim,” for what I’ll call “all the Sultan’s women,” this Harem was designated for his 4 chief wives.

#HaremInterior

The artwork on the ceiling of the Harem should be in the Louvre (but I triple-dog dare anyone to try to take it there!).

This panel kind of reminds me of the work I’ve seen in Greece, within Greek Orthodox churches or other icongraphic images, but as we know, Muslims do not employ icons (and the face of Muhammad, peace be upon him, is never shown).

#CeilingHarem

This one has a less iconographic feel to it (in my not-so-humble opinion). It feels more medieval.

#CeilingHarem

Do you see the Arabic writing in the decor? It is used throughout the Alhambra. If you look immediately to the left of the mosaic decor on the right side of the picture, you can see the Arabic writing.

In many cases, the writing says, “لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله” (or phonetically, “lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāh, muḥammadun rasūlu-llāh,” or in English, “ there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah”).

#HaremInterior

From the Harem, we moved to the modern part of the building. Of course, by modern, I mean late 15th-16th century.

FROM HERE GO TO Modern Alhambra & the Way Out