The observation point of Daraxa

TBehind the stalactite arch is one of the loveliest designs to behold in the Alhambra palaces: the Lindaraja Balcony. The name in Spanish of the lookout is derived from “Ayn Dar Aisa”, which is Arabic for “the eyes of Aisa’s home.” During the Nasrid reign it served as a watchtower overlooking the countryside, with a garden extending from its base.

As you approach the threshold of the arch, you see some of the most the delightful tiling in the Alhambra, with small tiles forming an attractive design. The traditional niches have been replaced by various blind arches.

The interior walls of the balcony are representative of the decorative proportionality favoured by the Nasrid architects, considered by some authors as possibly being a Nasrid Baroque style.

Beneath a stalactite blind arch is some polychromic plasterwork, mostly inscriptions, framing a window with a double-arch and a mullion which, like the side windows, is situated in a low position from where a person sitting on the floor can admire the countryside.

A false covering, with multicoloured crystals constituting a veritable treasure, crowns the top of the room, in what may well be the stateliest location in the Palace of the Lions.