El Partal Palace
The name comes from an Arabic word meaning "the portico", and is the name given to the remains of the residence of Sultan Yusuf III, the northernmost of the Nasrid Palaces. The stately Moorish homes which once filled this part of the Alhambra Hill were allowed to fall into ruin because they were not close enough to the new Christian palace to be conveniently used, by its intended inhabitants, as recreational areas and decorated gardens, of the type so popular during the Renaissance. All that is left now are the archaeological excavations of several of these homes visible among the terraced gardens (planted in the 20th century) - and the picturesque arcade, tower and pond of El Partal.