Generalife
The Palace of the Alhambra (from Arabic, “the red”) is situated on a hill, Al-Andalus, at the south-east border of the city of Granada, Spain. Built originally during the Nasrid dynasty of the rule of the Muslims in Spain, the palace was a fortress for the Moorish rulers. Today, the complex is comprised of three connected palaces, one of which is a Renaissance palace built by Charles V of the Holy Roman Empire.
Outside the palaces, but still inside the fortresses walls, lies the Palacio de Generalife, or the Architect’s Garden: the summer palace of the Nasrid sultans. They were built by Muhammad III (1302-1309) and recdecorated soon after by Abu I-Walid Isma’il (131301324). The gardens are extensive, but the palace complex itself consists of the Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Channel), which is said to best preserve the style of Andalusian medieval gardens…
and the JardÃn de la Sultana (Garden of the Sultana, or the Courtyard of the Cypress).
The Cypress there is not in good health, and the plaque on the wall reads something about a caballero (gentleman) and the Sultana, which I can only imagine made the gentleman not so much of a gentleman.
The garden palace was originally linked to the Alhambra via a walkway, over the ravine that separates them today.
View of the Palaces from Generalife
Generalife is one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens. The walkways are paved in Granadian style, with a mosaic of white and black pebbles: the white from the River Darro, the black from the River Genil.
La escalera del agua, or the water stairs. The ideal show of wealth of a desert people; water running down the banisters.
Unsurpassed Moorish plaster and/or marble carving.
Flora and fauna.
I’m linking to the Spain slideshow on Flickr, in case you wanted to see more pictures from Spain (and all the pictures from Generalife), which I will blog about soon.
paraphrased from wikipedia
Lynae said,
August 29, 2007 at 10:28 am
I lived in Granada for a year while in college and the Alhambra was my view in the morning while walking to school. Beautiful pics!