My footsteps echoed across the silent stone palace.

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Then, in the summer of 1669, came Louis's order to dismantle the ancient lodge and build a grand new palace, based upon the unfinished stone envelope.

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In the Nasrid Palaces, a palace complex within the palace complex, the combination of building materials (wood, stone, ceramics and plaster) with traditional Islamic forms (intricate calligraphy, stuccoed ceilings and interwoven geometric patterns) reaches a point close to perfection.

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The palace, spotlit by the evening sun, is painted in earthy tones: deep pinks, stone greys, cinnamon browns.

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