underwent the attentions of the _masseuses_ who waited on them. From the great hall we pass into a smaller one, having at each end a marble tank, used for solitary ablutions. Beyond, at the present day, an accumulated heap of ruins prevents the recognition of the means for heating the bath.
The upper part of the Chamber of Repose, which is supported on marble columns, forms a gallery with small divans, in which two persons, or, at most, four, could be accommodated at
the same time; from which it would appear that the bath was confined entirely to the use of the sovereign and his hareem. The floor is paved with beautiful Mosaics, which are in perfect preservation.
Inscription: “What is most to be wondered at is the felicity which awaits men in this palace of delight.”
Los Baños are well preserved, for they lie out of the way of ordinary ill-usage. The vapour-bath is lighted from above by small lumbreras, or “louvres.”
The _Mirador_--Prospect-chamber--of “Lindaraja” overlooks this secluded little court or garden, with its alabaster fountain, its cypress, orange, and citron trees rising from trim
[Illustration: GARDEN OF “LINDARAJA,” AND THE APARTMENTS TRADITIONALLY SAID TO HAVE BEEN OCCUPIED BY “LINDARAJA,” A FAVOURITE SULTÁNA.]
hedges of myrtles and roses. The _Mirador_ is a charming little apartment of fifteen feet by ten feet, or thereabouts, with three tall windows protected by _jalousies_. It is ordinarily and
[Illustration: THE GARDEN OF “LINDARAJA.”]
erroneously pointed out as the residence of Washington Irving during his abode in the Palace in 1829. His apartments were, however, in the Mihráb Tower, now known as the _Tocador de la Reina_.
TOCADOR DE LA REINA--THE QUEEN’S DRESSING-ROOM--
so called by the Spaniards, is about nine feet square. It was,
[Illustration: MOSAIC PAVEMENT IN THE QUEEN’S DRESSING-ROOM (TOCADOR DE LA REINA).]
in part, modernised and painted in arabesque by Charles V. In a corner is a marble slab drilled with holes, through which, it is said, perfumes were wafted while the Queen was dressing.
It is not unimportant to locate precisely the dwelling-place of Washington Irving during his sojourn in the Alhambra in 1829. It was in the suite of rooms annexed to the Queen’s Dressing-room that he took up his quarters. The kindly American genius, who regarded Englishmen as his own kith and kin, makes it quite plain. He says: “On taking up my abode in the Alhambra, one end of a suite of empty chambers of modern architecture, intended for the residence of the