Torre de las Damas

Palace and Tower in Granada

Torre De Las Damas, Alhambra, Granada 4 — CC BY-SA 1.0 / Jebulon

Torre De Las Damas, Alhambra, Granada 3 — CC BY-SA 3.0 / Juandev

Torre De Las Damas, Alhambra, Granada 1 — CC BY-SA 3.0 / Wolfgang Pehlemann

Torre De Las Damas, Alhambra, Granada — CC BY-SA 3.0 / Paazwi

Torre De Las Damas, Alhambra — Pixabay / Frank Nürnberger

The Torre de las Damas or Ladies Tower is a tower located in the Partal or Portico Palace in Alhambra Complex in Grenada.

To the left of this tower are three small Arab houses that were built after the tower and added to it. Some paintings were found in one of these houses. The paintings are deteriorated and incomplete, but they are of especial interest, as they are the only ones of that specific type within the Muslim period in Spain that have been preserved. They were done during the first half of the 16th century and they represent hunting scenes, imaginary animals, men, women, musicians, singers and a war expedition arriving to camp.

It has a solid base and the different foundations that support it can be seen in the gardens on the Darro River.

What is inside the Torre de las Damas?

The Torre de las Damas comprises the portico, a square hall and a staircase that leads to a mirador, which was built afterwards and from which it is possible to enjoy the view of the valley of the river Darro.

Where does the Torre de las Damas get its name?

The Torre de las Damas has received many and different names, depending on who inhabited it, although since the late 18th century it was called the Torre de las Damas. At the beginning the building was called “Partal” (which means portico) because of the portico formed by the five arches that often reflect on the rectangular pond.

King Mohammed V had reserved use of the tower and palace for his his half brother Ismail, for which the Torre de las Damas was known as the Torre de Ismail or Tower of Ismail and the Torre del Príncipe or Tower of the Prince. It is also known by the name of Casa de Sánchez or Odaliscas Bath.

History of the Torre de las Damas

It is the oldest palace preserved in the entire Alhambra, from the time of Muhamman III (1302-1309).

It became part of the Monumental Ensemble in 1981, after being in private hands for many years, receiving the name of the different inhabitants who lived in the Palace, its last inhabitant being Arthur von Gwinner. It has undergone a large number of reforms and restorations to date. At that time the building was handed over it was little more than a simple house with a few plants. Its interior walls were covered over so that much of the structure and its original decoration were hidden from view.

The valuable wooden roof of the tower was dismantled at the beginning of the 20th century by Arthur von Gwinner in exchange for transferring the ownership of the palace to the Spanish State, currently being kept in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

The Torre de las Damas appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Granada!

Other names of Torre de las Damas

The Torre de las Damas has the following names: Torre de las Damas, Torre de Ismail, Tower of Ismail, Torre del Príncipe, Tower of the Prince, Casa de Sánchez, Odaliscas Bath..

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