The 15th-century Nasrid palace of Dar al-Horra in Granada

The Palacio de Dar al-Horra is located in the Albaicín quarter of Granada, Spain. It is a former 15th-century Nasrid palace built during the reign of Yusuf III (1408-1417). Near the end of the Nasrid dynasty, the palace served as a residence for Aisha al-Horra, the wife of Sultan Abu'l-Hasan Ali and mother of the last Nasrid sultan, Muhammad XI. The name Dar al-Horra, meaning House of the Free Woman, comes from this historical association.

After the fall of Granada in 1492, the property was given to Hernando de Zafra, secretary of the Catholic Monarchs, who used it as his residence. In 1493, the palace was the venue for several agreements signed between the Catholic Monarchs and the remaining Muslim nobility. In 1507, Queen Isabel converted the palace into a Franciscan convent for nuns as part of the Monastery of Santa Isabel la Real.

The palace features many characteristics of Nasrid and Moorish architecture. The two-story building is arranged around a central rectangular courtyard with a small pool. Some rooms and hallways contain limited but well-preserved remains of Nasrid-era decoration in carved stucco. On the southern side of the courtyard is a large chamber which was used as a chapel after the Reconquista until the later Church of Santa Isabel la Real was built nearby.

On the north side of the courtyard are several rooms over two floors. On the middle axis of the building, on both floors, is a room that projects outward, acting as a mirador (lookout). The upper floor offers views over the 11th-century Zirid walls and the neighborhoods beyond to the north. On the northeast corner of the building is a tower-like section which rises to a third floor.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons