Court of the Myrtles (Patio de los Arrayanes), Alhambra

The Patio de los Arrayanes has been called in various ways over time. The current name (like that of Patio de los Mirtos) is due to the massifs of arrayanes (or myrtle) whose bright green color contrasts with the white marble floor of the patio, and which surround the central pond. It was also called Patio del Estanque or de la Alberca, precisely because of this pond, 34 meters by 7.10 meters, which divides the patio longitudinally and is supplied with water thanks to two marble basins located at each end. On both sides of the courtyard there are two naves with rooms and, on the smaller sides, there are porticos, supported by columns with cubic capitals, with seven semicircular arches adorned with openwork rhombuses and inscriptions in praise of God.

Even in the early centuries people knew how to furnish themselves beautifully.

The Patio de Arrayanes owes its name to the myrtles that surround the patio's central pond.