The Fountain of The Lions
The latest research suggest that the Lions come from the house of the Jewish vizier "Yusuf Ibn Nagrela" (1066). It is not known if they were constructed before his death, and at the time, he was accused of wanting to build a much bigger palace than the king's. An almost exact description of the original fountain is still kept, written by the poet "Ibn Gabirol" (11th-c): they represent the 12 tribes of Israel, two of them have a triangle on the forehead, indicating the two chosen tribes:" Judá" and "Leví". They are from the 11th century. The Lions have recently been removed from the fountain for restoration, but will soon be back where they belong.
The poet and minister Ibn Zamrak wrote a poem to describe the beauty of the courtyard. It is carved around the border of the basin:
Read more about this topic: Court Of The Lions
Famous quotes containing the words fountain and/or lions:
“Hail holy Light, of spring of Heav’n first-born,
Or of th’ Eternal Coeternal beam
May I express thee unblam’d? since God is Light,
And never but in unapproached Light
Dwelt from Eternitie, dwelt then in thee,
Bright effluence of bright essence in create.
Or hear’st thou rather pure Ethereal stream,
Whose Fountain who shall tell?”
—John Milton (1608–1674)
“Sure, you can love your child when he or she has just brought home a report card with straight “A’s.” It’s a lot harder, though, to show the same love when teachers call you from school to tell you that your child hasn’t handed in any homework since the beginning of the term.”
—The Lions Clubs International and the Quest Nation. The Surprising Years, II, ch.3 (1985)