Palacio del Pórtico and the Torre de las Damas The palace is only partly preserved, with only the tower and portico on its north side remaining. According to some scholarly views, this was originally part of an enclosed rectangular courtyard rather than the open garden it appears as today. It would have thus had the typical layout seen in other palaces nearby: a private courtyard centered on a large reflective pool with porticoes at either end and a
mirador tower at one end that looked down on the city from the edge of the palace walls. Another scholarly view holds that the Partal Palace never had an enclosed courtyard, and consisted mainly of the present structure facing an open landscape with the pool. It is similar in conception to the small oratory attached to the
Mexuar. Like the latter, it also enjoyed great views through double-arched windows, a feature which was unique to this type of prayer space in the Alhambra. Art historian Marianne Barrucand states that the structure itself was likely built earlier by Muhammad III, like the rest of the Partal. Recent
dendrochonological analyses, published in 2014, indicate that several of the original timber pieces used to construct the oratory's ceiling were cut in the winter of 1332–1333. This dating suggests that Yusuf I was only responsible for completing the oratory's construction, while the construction was initiated instead by one of his predecessors, most likely
Isma’il I (r. 1314–1325). In modern times, the oratory was restored in 1846 by Rafael Contreras and in 1930 by Leopoldo Torres Balbás. The most recent restoration occurred between 2013 and 2017 and focused on the restoration of its wooden ceiling. The restoration uncovered, among other things, a previously obscured Arabic inscription frieze painted along the upper boards around the base of the ceiling, containing part of a
surah from the
Qur'an. File:Granada, Alhambra, Oratorio del Partal (3).jpg|Entrance to the oratory File:Granada, Alhambra, Oratorio del Partal (1).jpg|Side view of the structure File:2016-07-19 Window in the Ortorio, Partal, Alhambra.JPG|Decoration around the southwestern window File:Granada (49191243441).jpg|Interior, with the
mihrab Nasrid houses On the left (west) side of the tower are four Nasrid-period houses from the 14th century, which did not have their own internal courtyards. They are known today as the González Pareja House, the Villoslada house, the House of the Balconies, and the House of the Paintings. Although less impressive in design, they still contain some carved stucco decoration and are especially notable for the remnants of painted decoration, which may be the only surviving painted decoration executed by Nasrid artists. (The painted ceilings in the Hall of Kings in the Palace of the Lions, by contrast, may have been made by Christian artisans.) The mural paintings were discovered in 1907. Among other things, they depict rows of horsemen as well as tents with musicians, servants, and women of the Nasrid court.
Partal Gardens The extensive Partal Gardens (
Jardines del Partal) stretch over the area to the south of the Partal Palace and its pool. They date from the time of
Gómez-Moreno (1910s-1920s) and from landscaping carried out in the 1930s. They have little relation with any original Nasrid-period elements, but the landscaping allowed for further archeological investigations and replaced what was at that time an unkempt area. Among the gardens are the remains of the foundations of other houses and urban structures. One of these remains, located on the upper terrace of the gardens, belongs to a former palace known as the
Palacio del Partal Alto. == References ==