If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 365

 

The Court of the Lions, Alhambra, Granada, Spain

This beautiful postcard of the Court of the Lions in the Alhambra, a Moorish citadel, in Granada, Spain was also among those in the packet sent by my son and his wife this summer when they were in visiting Portugal and Spain.  The Alhambra is a sprawling complex of palaces, gardens and forts.  The Court of the Lions is found in the main courtyard of the Nasrid dynasty Palace of the Lions.  The postcard was issued by GOMEZ, has the number 66 in the place for a stamp, but does not have an informational blurb or other publishing or printing information.

Commissioned by the Nasrid sultan Muhammad V of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus (Andalusa), construction started around 1362 to 1391.  Today it is on the UNESCO World Heritage list and appears on a limited edition 2 Euro commemorative coin.  Identified as in the Nasrid style it reflects both Moorish and Christian influences.  The courtyard is 35 meters or about 115 feet long by 20 meters or almost 66 feet wide.  There are 124 white marble columns and filigree walls. 

The fountain dates from the 11th century and is believed to come from the house of the Jewish vizier Yusuf ibn Nagrela who died in 1066.  The twelve white marble lions surrounding the alabaster basin represent the twelve tribes of Israel, two with triangles on the forehead for the tribes of Judah and Levi.  The lions were removed in 2007 for restoration and replaced in 2012 after reconstruction of the water flow system.  It functions as a clock with water running out of the mouth of the appropriate lion depending on the time of day and into a channel in the floor.  The running water cools the courtyard as well as beautifies it.  A poem written in Arabic by poet and minister Ibn Zamrak was carved into the rim of the basin.

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of_the_Lions