باب الشريعة (العدل)‎ في قصر الحمراء : (دراسة تاريخية أثرية)‎

Abstract EN

This paper aims to explore one of the main gates of the City of Alhambra palace, which is known by several different names such as: the Sharīʿa gate, the Justice gate and the Prayer place.

It is also an attempt to identify the location spot of this main gate.

Furthermore, it touched upon the formative inscription on the external façade of the gate to analyze and decipher its content.

In addition, the research tackled the engraving of the hand on the facade which was widespread in the Islamic world during the Middle Ages; it also studied the inscription of the Key which was practiced in the Nasseri era.

These are symbols found at many sites which represented the Islamic amulets in the Christian territory after the Spanish re-conquest of the Alhambra City.

The paper, furthermore, focuses on the construction layout and history of the Sharīʿa Gate, which dates back to the epoch of Bani Nasr.

This gate was constructed in a zigzag design, following the Byzantine architectural layout which is a continuation of the architecture prevalent in the Eastern and North African parts of the Islamic world.

The external façade of the gate was studied along with the façade of the interior ceiling, and also the architectural additions, made later on to it like the statue of Virgin Mary on top of it.

Moreover, the paper examined the interior façade which was to a great extent similar to that of the external façade of the Gate of Arms, prominent in which is the plant ornaments made inside rhomboids on both sides of the Horseshoe Arch.

The gate at hand constitutes a whole unique structure of beauty, as for the building materials and technologies used in the construction of the gate.

We also found that they resemble those used by the North Africans, and we believe that this resemblance can be attributed to the result of mutual influences between Andalusia and the Arab Maghreb, since it is difficult to differentiate between them, for they tend to be the same.