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Legends of the Alhambra
A place like the Alhambra had to have a whole series of legends, myths, tales that exaggerate the spell it propagates. In the Hall of Abencerrages we find various reasons to why it is one of the most magical rooms of the monumental complex.
Apparently, a number of important families ve had the Sultan's favour used to live in La Medina, one of them was the house of the Abencerrages. When another Palatino family decided to end this royal sympathy, word was spread that one of the main members had a secret relation with the Sultan's favourite (a deeply rooted legend in the Generalife, we will run into it again in the Patio de los Cipreses), as a result, 36 of the warring Abencerrages were beheaded and all Sultan's favours stopped.
The room was named after them because the legend goes beyond this and indicates that the small and harmonious fountain in the middle of the room still has some reddish marks of innocent blood after the brutal punishment. It is true; some parts of the fountain do have a reddish colour making this legend "more believable" ;-)
Located in the impressive and indescribable Lions Palace, the surprising part of this room is not the legend. Take your time, start looking up and you will discover pure magic. One of the masterworks of the Alhambra is the dome of muqarnas that magically surround this this room.
A perfect eight pointed star that converges in eight other tubes of muqarnas. Phew! How perfect and beautiful is this place, despite its “macabre” legend of impossible vengeance. What impresses most is that this dome like the one which is found later in the twin Sala de Dos Hermanas is based on Pythagorean Theorem. I personally don't know what impresses me the most, the legend or this feat of engineering, although above all I love the magic.
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