Abstract
The ceilings of the pavilions of the Court of Lions in the Alhambra (Granada, Spain) are masterpieces of the Nasrid
woodwork. Made in pinewood by the ‘ataurejado’ technique they display a highly unusual decoration in elevensided
or hendecagonal rosettes. The geometric explanation of the patterns given in the present paper considers the
domes as a near miss polyhedron with eleven-sided faces or as a snub cube. It implies the cupolas of the pavilions
can be considered as two early examples of (parts of) those polyhedra.
