Legend has it that there once was an Arab princess named Zaira. She was beautiful, good and very intelligent, the complete opposite of her father, the king, who was cruel, ruthless and cold.

The princess and the king travelled to Granada and stayed in Alhambra. Zaira was delighted, she felt like she was in a dream, since her country seemed like hell to her.

Her father always wanted to keep her isolated and forbade her to go outside. The only thing that accompanied her was a talisman that her mother gave her before she died.

The princess found a beautiful, brightly lit patio inside the Alhambra where she used to spend most of her time.

One day, a daring boy decided to jump over the fence to declare his love to the princess since he had seen him from outside and was amazed. She insisted that he leave, since if her father found out or saw him, he would not hesitate to cut off his head. The boy, named Arturo, left with the promise of returning.

The day Arthur returned, the king saw him, locked him up and sentenced him to death. The very saddened young woman entered her father's bedroom to beg him for mercy. Upon entering he found the king's diary, he thought he shouldn't read it but finally decided to open it. To his surprise, on one of the pages he found the following: “I have already killed the king and the queen, and I have taken Zaira. Thanks to my 11 men I have managed to occupy the throne and be the king. Now Zaira will think I'm her father. I hope the princess never finds out about the curse on her talisman.”

The angry and hurt young woman called the king and his 11 men in the sunny courtyard where she used to walk. In the courtyard, crying, she asked them if what she had read was true. The king, calm to be surrounded by his 11 men, told her it was true. At that same moment, the talisman was activated, since the young woman knew the truth. The talisman turned the king and his 11 men into stone lions, since at that moment, the princess felt the rage of a lion.

For that reason and from that moment on, that patio is called "The Patio of the

Lions. The fountain located in the centre of the patio has 12 stone lions around it that correspond to the king and the 11 men. Princess Zaira rescued her beloved Arturo and they were happily ever after.