Jardines del Generalife - Granada

The Palace de Generalife (Arabic for 'Garden of the Architect ') was the summer palace and mansion of the Nasrid sultans of Granada.

The palace and gardens were built during the reign of Mohammed III (1302-1309).

The complex consists of the Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Canal) with a long pond lined with flower beds, fountains, colonnades and pavilions, and the Jardín de la Sultana (Garden of the Sultan). The first is considered to best preserve the style of the medieval garden in Al-Andalus. Originally, the palace was connected to the Alhambra by a covered passageway over the ravine that now separates these parts. The Generalife is one of the oldest existing Moorish gardens.

Construction of the present gardens was begun in 1931 and completed in 1951 by Francisco Prieto Moreno. The paths are in traditional Granadian style inlaid with pebble mosaic : white from the Darro and black from the Genil.

Willem Vandenameele