In Hispano-Muslim houses, the courtyard was is very important. It is believed to be the core of the family’s life, and it is along which other rooms of the house are distributed. This aspect makes it difficult to distinguish a family’s wealth by simply looking at the external part of the palace or house, something that contrasts to its courtyard. Palaces are just like houses with the only difference being that they are more decorated with the same functions and patterns. Therefore, the Alhambra court of myrtles was built on the basis of Hispano-Muslim culture which had a high regard for the courtyard. 

The Court of the Myrtles Patio de Los Arrayanes) has historically received different names. Various factors have contributed to the naming of this court, with the current name being as a result of the myrtle bushes that surround the court’s central pond and the green color that contrasts with Patio’s white marble. As a matter of fact, there is a time period when this court was named the Reservoir or Patio of the Pond (Patio del Estanque o de la Alberca) due to the court’s central pond which measures 7,10 meters wide and 34 meters long. This pond divides the Patio. The pond’s water comes from the two fountains located at each end of the pond. On the both sides of the Patio, there are chambers which support it (Irwin, 2004). At the same time, the patio has porticoes on the shorter sides that rest on columns that have cubic capitals. The cubic capitals on the other hand have seven semi-circular arches that are decorated with the fretwork rhombuses and inscriptions that praise God. The central arch is bigger than the other six arches and has solid scallops which are decorated with capitals of mocarabes and vegetal forms that are stylized. 

The pool plays an important role in both the aesthetic and architectural definition of the court. For instance, the pond’s water surface acts as a mirror, hence reflects the surrounding structures thereby generating a geometric projection which breaks the court’s structural horizontal lines. The court was paved using sizable slabs. However, the floor was enlarged at the end of the 16^th century in order to accommodate more people (Irwin, 2004). 

On the ends of the court’s southern gallery, there are larders that have mocarabes kitchen shelves. On these larders, there are various inscriptions which praise either the emir or God. Chambers existing in this portico were partially demolished with an aim of building the Charles V Palace. On the top floor, there is a six-arched gallery on a corridor that has a higher lintel in the middle. This gallery is decorated with the 19^th century’s wooden terraced based and latticework. Despite the presence of these chambers, it is often said that there are several chambers of the court that have disappeared. However, there are some signs showing the existence of the chambers said to have disappeared. The disappearance of these chambers was as a result of Charles V’s intentions to build his own palace which led to him destroying the winter palace (Moffett, Fazio & Wodehouse, 2003). 

References

Irwin, R. (2004). The Alhambra. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 

Moffett, M., Fazio, M., & Wodehouse, L. (2003). A world history of architecture. London: King.