{"id":3956,"date":"2021-12-22T10:47:43","date_gmt":"2021-12-22T10:47:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alandalustours.es\/the-generalife-of-the-alhambra-of-granada\/"},"modified":"2024-10-18T07:52:21","modified_gmt":"2024-10-18T07:52:21","slug":"the-generalife-of-the-alhambra-of-granada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alandalustours.es\/en\/the-generalife-of-the-alhambra-of-granada\/","title":{"rendered":"The Generalife of the Alhambra of Granada"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n

The Generalife of the Alhambra<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n

<\/p>\n

The Generalife<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a> was a villa with ornamental gardens, orchards and buildings, built at the end of the 13th century and used by the Nasrid kings of Granada as a summer residence and resting place, hence its name, Generalife, which means “most exalted garden”. Hence its name, Generalife, which translates as “the most exalted garden”, a true spectacle for the senses! <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

This idyllic place is composed of three areas: the lower gardens, the palace of the Generalife and the gardens located in the upper part.<\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Generalife<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

By the vagaries of fate, for many years the Generalife<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a> was owned by an Italian family, who lived in Genoa. A little known history, which was maintained for centuries but, the Prosecutor of the Private Patrimony of King Ferdinand VII initiated legal action before the courts and in 1921, the Spanish state managed to recover the Generalife. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

It was decided, then, to create a large-scale garden space in order to unite it with the rest of the Alhambra. This new garden is divided into three spaces that were built in three different periods: in 1931 a labyrinthine garden of cypresses and rose gardens was added; in 1931 it was extended with a reinterpretation of the Muslim garden, including an irrigation channel and cypress galleries surrounding it; finally, in 1952 the garden was crowned with an outdoor amphitheater, created for the international dance festival of Granada, although today it is a luxurious setting for many concerts and shows. <\/p>\n\n

\n
\"Generalife<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n

Visit Generalife Granada<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After touring these picturesque spaces, we enter the palace of the Generalife<\/strong><\/em><\/span>. First of all, we enter through the courtyard of the halt that communicates through stairs with the courtyard of the irrigation ditch. The irrigation ditch is flanked by two rows of water spouts added in the 19th century and a viewpoint along one of its sides, added in the Christian era. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

If we follow our generalife tour<\/strong><\/em><\/span>we find the<\/strong> beautiful courtyard of the Sultana’s cypress, where, according to legend, a knight abencerraje, a relative of the Sultan, climbed through the magnificent tree to meet Boabdil’s wife.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After a short flight of stairs, a new view opens before the visitor upon reaching the high gardens, distributed in terraces at different heights that stand out for their great beauty. At this point of the route we find the water staircase, crossed by two water channels, creating a pleasant and relaxing hydraulic melody unparalleled. All this, covered by a floral vault that grows on its sides. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Generalife Gardens Granada<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

This staircase area has a charismatic circular landing and a fountain on each flight of stairs. This haven of peace and tranquility was used as a place to perform ablutions, a ritual prior to prayer in the mosque. <\/p>\n

\"Generalife
Generalife Gardens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, on this water staircase you can discover a romantic viewpoint built in 1836, in neo-Gothic style instead of neo-Arabic, in contrast to the rest of the Alhambra,<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span> which has a beautiful vegetal vault of oleanders intertwined in a metal structure.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Generalife <\/strong>Gardens and Alcazaba Granada<\/strong><\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

Generalife<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a> and Alcazaba Granada are two of the most popular tourist attractions for those who come to the city wanting to discover the history and charm of the Alhambra. Alhambra<\/a>,<\/strong><\/em><\/span> one for its natural charm and being an oasis among so much architectural wealth, and the other for its historical role as a key defensive element of the fortification.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

After stopping at the gardens of the Generalife<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a>, we now do the same with the Alcazaba<\/strong><\/em><\/span>which, together with the Bermejas Towers, is the oldest point of the Alhambra<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span>. If we consult historical sources, the first time we have evidence of the existence of this defensive construction is in the ninth century and everything suggests that its authorship comes from Sawwar ben Hamdun, who ordered its construction during the struggle between Arabs and Muladis. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

However, the complex as we know it today is the result of the modifications carried out by Mohammed I, who walled up the former castle, erected defenses and built three new towers (the Quebrada, the Homenaje and the Vela), thus converting the Alcazaba<\/strong><\/em><\/span> into a real fortress. This powerful security environment led the monarch to establish the royal residence there, a function that he retained during the reign of his son Mohamed II until the palaces were completed. From then on, the Alcazaba<\/strong><\/em><\/span> as a purely military fortress. <\/p>\n

\"Arches
Arches of the Generalife<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Undoubtedly, an area of the Alhambra<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/a> to travel and imagine that time when another civilization populated the city of Granada to give way to a new evolution of the times, which will always retain some essence of their predecessors.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n \t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t

Free Tour Essential Granada: Historic Center and Lower Albaic\u00edn<\/a><\/h3>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t