Comares Palace

The Comares Palace or Hall (Cuarto o Palacio de Comares) was the official residence of the king and it comprises several rooms that surrounded the Court of the Myrtles (Patio de los Arrayanes). The rooms have galleries with porticoes at the ends. Some examples are the Hall of the Boat (Sala de la Barca) to the north and the Hall of the Ambassadors(Salón de los Embajadores) inside the Comares Tower (Torre de Comares), from which a view over the valley of the river Darro may be enjoyed.

Yusuf I wanted his official residence's decoration to amaze the visitor, so he ordered the architects to build it and adorn it in a exquisite way, although he probably did not see the final result, as several inscriptions affirm that his son Mohammed V was responsible for it. Mohammed V finished the works and constructed a façade on the southern side of the Patio of the Gilded Room (Patio del Cuarto Dorado). On the façade there are two identical gates with lintels, tiles on a ceramic skirting board and plasterwork decoration. Above it are two twin windows with canted festoon and a smaller one in the middle, surrounded by inscriptions from the Koran. The whole wall is beautifully decorated with ornaments and inscriptions, including the motto «Only God is Victor». One of the poems by Ibn Zamrak is tattooed on the frieze made of carved wood, as in other parts of the Nasrid palaces.

Detail of Comares Palace