Palacio del Partal (Partal Palace), Granada

The Partal Palace was built by Nasrid Sultan Mohammed III. He ruled only from 1302 to 1309. That would indicate a short building period or a fast builder. The palace today is but partially preserved. Only the tower and the north portico remain standing. The Palace was meant to enclose a rectngular courtyard, not the open garden it faces today.

The typical layout of palaces of the day were based on a courtyard with a reflecting pool. There were porticoes at each end and a mirador (overlook) tower at the edge of the palace walls with a view of the city below.

All that remains today is the Tower of the Ladies (Torre de las Damas), to the left of the portico and mirador. The original ceiling of the tower was taken by the last private owner and is now an exhibit at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, Germany.

A large reflecting pool remains in front of the portico. The original Nasrid garden elements are gone but the current gardens are extensive. They are by Gomez-Moreno in the 1920s. Further landscaping was carried out in 1930.

To the right of the tower is a small private mosque that was originally part of the palace wall. It has a room for prayer and a double-arched window. The room for prayer and window are ornately decorated with stucco in the Nasrid tradition.