The Hall Of The Two Sisters

The Hall of the Two Sisters gets its name from the two great twin slabs of Almeria marble you see under your feet. They are impressive, but now, forget about them and look upwards.

I am fascinated by this dome… The balance between the openings that let in the light, and the shapes of the honeycomb work. The brightly painted geometric shapes you can see are kown as mocárabes, or muqarnas. The Nazrid poet Ibn Zamrak, whom you have already met, immortalized both the visible and invisible charms of this dome in his verses, which are inscribed on the plasterwork on the walls. They also mention, rather mysteriously, other charms that are still hidden from visitors…

This was the heart of Muhammad V´s palace, and in fact the entire structure of the building revolves around this room. It was closed off by a spectacularly beautiful door, which you will be able to admire in the Alhambra Museum.

If you walk towards the room at the end, which opens onto a garden, we will reach the Lindaraja Belvedere, which was once the throne room or Mexuar, of Sultan Muhamad V. The fate of Granada and its people was decided in this place. Once, the sultan received a very personal gift from King Pedro the Cruel: the head of a member of his family who was a pretender to the throne. The Christian monarch helped his Muslim colleague by murdering the wicked relative in Seville, and thus enabling the true ruler to return to the throne of Granada. In those days, heads fell easily…



(c) (R) 2013, MUSMon com S.L.
Text (a) Carlos Madrid (2012)

Picture:
Source: Own work
Author: Julián Hernández Martínez (2013)