The present pavement of the halls and courts of the Palace is either of white marble, as in the Hall of The Two Sisters and Hall of the Abencerrages, or of brick. Seldom, however, does it appear to be the original flooring, as in many places it is considerably above the ancient level, concealing the lower part of the Mosaic dados. On the pavement of one of the alcoves of the Hall of Justice are still to be seen painted tiles which seem to suggest a style of flooring more in harmony with the general decoration of the Halls and Courts than either those of marble or of brick. This deduction has been objected to by persons conversant with the manners and customs of the Mohammedans, who contend that it is impossible that these tiles--on which the name of God is written--should have been trodden under foot. But it should be borne in mind that the Arabs of Spain allowed themselves considerable laxity in observing the behests of the Korán--as is evidenced by the fountain in the Court of Lions, the bas-relief in the Museum of the Palace, and the paintings in the Hall of Justice.
For the student who desires to pursue exhaustively the history of the Moors in Spain, there are but two trustworthy authorities--Don Pascual de Gayángos, the Spanish Orientalist and historian, and Dr. R. Dozy, of Leyden. Don Pascual’s translation of _Al-makkarí_ has been largely drawn upon in the compilation of the present volume, as also the “Handbook” and “Gatherings” of Richard Ford (1845 and onward), which form the bases of the indispensable Murray’s _Guide_. For the last days of the Moslems in Spain, Sir William Stirling-Maxwell’s _Don John of Austria_ must be read. The fascinating volumes of Washington Irving will, of course, continue to delight so long as the English language endures, and no better companions can be wished for on the spot where they were written than his stories of _The Alhambra_ and _The Conquest of Granada_. Mr. Henry Coppeé’s _History of the Conquest of Spain by the Arab Moors_, in two volumes, _Boston_ (Mass.), 1881; Miss Charlotte Yonge’s _Christians and Moors in Spain_; Mr. H. E. Watt’s _Spain from the Moorish Conquest to the Fall of Granada_; the concise _Rise and Fall of the Muslim Empire in Spain_, by our fellow-subject, Muhammed Hayat Khan, Lahore, 1897; and Mr. Stanley Lane-Poole’s _The Moors in Spain_ should be consulted.