GArdEns
“The Palace was
designed as a rural
villa in The viciniTy of
The alhambra, wiTh
decoraTive gardens,
fruiT and vegeTable
PaTches, courTs and
oTher sTrucTures To aid
courTly conTemPlaTion
and royal relaxaTion.”
Gardens have always been an enduring feature of The gardens were the ultimate relaxation spot for
LEFT
The Architect’s
Breathtaking view
Islamic culture. Motivated by the Qur’anic descrip- the 12th century Sultan of Granada, Muhammad III. from the Generalife,
tions of the ultimate Garden, caliphs and sultans, Built between the 12th and 14th centuries, the Palace
the ‘back garden’ of
the Alhambra.
emperors and amirs, princes and regents were invigor- was designed as a rural villa in the vicinity of the
ated enough to recreate a distant resemblance of that Alhambra, with decorative gardens, fruit and vegeta- ABOVE
final Garden. The poet Sa’id composed for the caliph ble patches, courts and other structures to aid courtly
The Court of the
Main Canal.
al-Mansur, “And the gardens reveal the splendour/of contemplation and royal relaxation.
the daisy’s smile/and the tender narcissus gazes/at After the expulsion of the Muslims from Spain,
Garden
the anemone’s cheek/while the gentle wind bears/the the Catholic monarchs had assigned a keeper to watch
scent of sweet basil/may you pass an eternal lifetime over the Palace and its gardens and make improve-
here/in happiness and peace.” ments. In 1631 the keeper’s charge was given to the
Popularly known as the Generalife, the palatial Granada-Venegas family until 1921, when the state
gardens in Granada, Spain were originally known in was awarded custody of the premises. Today, the
Arabic as the jannat al-areef (the architect’s garden). Generalife consists of the High and Lower gardens,
www.emel.com | emel magazine 63
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