Honeycomb-like decorated vaults

Court of the Lions Quiz: The Alhambra's Fountain and Arcades

This Court of the Lions quiz steps into the most famous courtyard of the Alhambra in Granada. Play 10 interactive questions on Sultan Muhammad V, twelve marble lions, the poem carved on the basin, 124 slender columns, four water channels, the Hall of the Abencerrajes and its legend, the Hall of the Two Sisters, muqarnas domes and the restoration finished in 2012.

Start Court of the Lions Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Palace
Which palace complex holds the Court of the Lions?
Sultan
Which Nasrid ruler built the court?
Lions
How many lions support the fountain?
Poem
What is carved around the fountain basin?
Columns
About how many slender columns surround the court?
Water
What do the four channels represent?
Hall
Which hall is linked to a legendary massacre?
Sisters
Which hall is named after two large marble slabs?
Muqarnas
What are muqarnas?
Restore
When was the restoration of the fountain completed?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which palace complex holds the Court of the Lions?
Answer: The Alhambra
It is in Granada, Spain.
Q2: Which Nasrid ruler built the court?
Answer: Muhammad V
It dates from the 1300s.
Q3: How many lions support the fountain?
Answer: Twelve
They carry a marble basin.
Q4: What is carved around the fountain basin?
Answer: A poem
It praises the fountain's beauty.
Q5: About how many slender columns surround the court?
Answer: 124
They are made of white marble.
Q6: What do the four channels represent?
Answer: The rivers of paradise
Water flows into rooms around the court.
Q7: Which hall is linked to a legendary massacre?
Answer: Hall of the Abencerrajes
A noble family was said to be killed there.
Q8: Which hall is named after two large marble slabs?
Answer: Hall of the Two Sisters
Its dome is a honeycomb of muqarnas.
Q9: What are muqarnas?
Answer: Honeycomb-like decorated vaults
They create dazzling domes.
Q10: When was the restoration of the fountain completed?
Answer: 2012
The lions had been removed for cleaning.

Twelve Lions and the Rivers of Paradise

The Court of the Lions lies at the heart of the Alhambra, the Nasrid palace complex on a hill above Granada in southern Spain. Sultan Muhammad V built it in the 1300s as part of his private palace. Its fountain rests on the backs of twelve marble lions, and a poem carved around the basin praises its beauty.

About 124 slender white marble columns surround the courtyard, supporting delicate arches. Four water channels flow from the fountain toward the surrounding halls, often said to represent the four rivers of paradise. The lions were removed for cleaning and the fountain's restoration was completed in 2012.

Off the court, the Hall of the Abencerrajes is linked to the legend of a noble family massacred there, and the Hall of the Two Sisters is named after two large marble slabs in its floor. Both have breathtaking domes of muqarnas, honeycomb-like vaults that seem to sparkle with light.

What This Quiz Teaches

Architecture fans will enjoy these questions.

Where the court is
Who built it
What the fountain shows
What the water channels mean
Which halls surround it

Did You Know?

Alhambra means the red one in Arabic.
Tickets for the Nasrid Palaces are timed.
Washington Irving wrote Tales of the Alhambra.
Granada fell to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492.
Night visits show the palace lit up.