The Patio de los Leones, perhaps the most famous part of the Alhambra in Granada, has reopened to the public after ten years of restoration work. Once again the fountain is a scene of running water.
The patio has 250 pieces of white marble of different sizes, and is back to the splendour of its historical past.
The Patio de los Leones was conceived in the XIV century by Sultan Muhammad V as a Nazari Royal House.
The ten year restoration followed the original from the 14th century. The white marble used came from Macael, Almería.
Visitors will no longer be kept to a restricted perimeter and can now mix with the 12 lions, a pleasure which has not been available since 1987.
The reopening was carried out by the President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán, at 11am Friday morning July 27, 2012.
