The Alhambra's royal bath restored to its former glory
Saturday, December 2, 2017 @ 10:09 PM
Alhambra, the only Islamic medieval bath that has been preserved almost intact in the Western world, has new vaulted roofs after being subjected to a complex restoration that has allowed restorers to delve into the uses of this unique space, considered one of the jewels of the monument.
It was a problem with leaks and humidity that led the Board of the Alhambra and Generalife to undertake this process of restoration in the vaults and interior walls of the baths. The first phase has lasted two years and was presented today by the counsellor of Culture, Miguel Ángel Vázquez.
Located between the emblematic palaces of Comares and Los Leones, the Bath of Comares or Royal Bath, as it was later known due to the private use made of them by the Catholic Monarchs after the Reconquest of Granada, was built by Sultan Ismail I (1314 -1325) and then continued by Yusuf I (1333-1354).
An heir, from the point of view of its construction, of the Roman baths, it boasts among its rooms a unique area, which will be opened to the public, exceptionally, throughout the month of December.
This area is the Sala de las Camas, which as explained by Pedro Salmerón, architect of the Alhambra, was meant for "maximum relaxation" and where the sultan and his guests took off their clothes and reclined while, possibly, they listened to musicians playing.
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