The Palace of the Lions adjoins the Palace of the Myrtles to the southeast, and was built by Muhammad V, probably between 1370 and 1391. The palace consists of a central arcaded courtyard with the famous fountain in the centre, its basin supported by twelve lion figures. The waters of the fountain flow along four channels that divide the courtyard into equal quadrants, terminating in basins located within the Hall of the Two Sisters to the north of the courtyard, the Hall of the Abencerrajes to the south, and the Hall of the Kings to the east.
The Hall of the Two Sisters' square plan develops into an octagonal drum that supports a highly complex stellate muqarnas vault. Beyond the Hall of the Two Sisters lies the Lindaraxa tower that overlooks gardens below. The square Hall of the Abencerrajes utilises squinches to support a second stellate muqarnas vault, while the Hall of Kings utilises muqarnas decoration on arches as well as vaulting. Each of these spaces is highly ornamented with glazed tile dados, carved stucco, and muqarnas.
Sources:
Dickie, James. 1981. "The Alhambra: Some Reflections Prompted by a Recent Study by Oleg Grabar. In Studia Arabica et Islamica : Festschrift for Ihsan Abbas on his sixtieth birthday. edited by Wadad al-Qadi. Beirut: American UP, 127-49.
ibid. 1992. "The Palaces of the Alhambra." In al-Andalus : the art of Islamic Spain . Edited by Jerrilynn D. Dodds. New York: Abrams, 135-51.
Fernandez Puertas, Antonio. 1997. The Alhambra. 2 v. London : Saqi Books.
Grabar, Oleg. 1992. The Alhambra. 2d ed., rev. Sebastopol, Calif. : Solipsist Press.
Orihuela Uzal, Antonio. 1996. Casas y palacios nazaries : siglos XIII-XV. Seville: Junta de Andalucia, Consejeria de Cultura,
Consejeria de Turismo y Deporte ; Granada: El Legado Andalusi ; Barcelona : Lunwerg Editores.
Ruggles, D.F. 2000. "The Alhambra." In Gardens, Landscape, and Vision in the Palaces of Islamic Spain. University Park: Pennsylvania State UP, 163-208.
