One of the most popular pictures of the Alhambra shows a very basic mathematical idea in the architecture of the monument. This view, seen below, is of a patio and a reflecting pool. You can see that there is a vertical reflection down the center of the arches that make up this part of the structure. Additionally, the pool of water in front of the patio gives the idea of a horizontal reflection. On a clear day, the reflection in the water is extremely realistic and makes the object appear to have the symmetries of a dihedral finite figure of order 2 instead of order 1 (bilateral symmetry).
In addition to the numerous frieze patterns, the Alhambra is abundant in wallpatterns. Many of the wallpatterns were created with highly colored tiles while others were carved into the plasterwork of the walls. We found many classifications within the confines of the Alhambra Palace. We have chosen just a few of our favorite wallpatterns.
Friezes from the Alhambra Wallpatterns from the Alhambra
page 1
page 2
page 3