Arab Room Interior
The Arab Room (Salão Árabe) at Palácio da Bolsa (Stock Exchange Palace) in Porto, Portugal, is a shining example of 19th-century Moorish Revival architecture. Designed by Portuguese architect Gustavo Adolfo Gonçalves de Sousa and completed in 1880, the room draws inspiration from the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra in Granada, Spain.
As seen in the photograph, the spacious hall is richly decorated with gilded arabesques, intricate geometric and floral patterns, Moorish-inspired arches supported by slender columns, and circular stained-glass windows. An ornate upper gallery with decorative metal railings runs along the walls, while the parquet floor displays elaborate geometric patterns.
The room’s elaborate geometric patterns, arabesques, and Arabic inscriptions was inspired by the decorative traditions of the Nasrid Palaces at the Alhambra in Granada and the Mudéjar architecture of Pedro I Palace at the Real Alcázar of Seville. While these Spanish palaces date to the medieval period, the Arab Room represents a 19th-century European revival of Islamic-inspired architectural decoration.
References
1. Porto Secreto – Palácio da Bolsa: visita guiada a uma das joias do Porto
2. Palácio da Bolsa – Official Tourism Page
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