El Generalife It was the real almunia (recreation house) of Grenada. Built outside the citadel of the Alhambra, on the hillside of Cerro del Sol, between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries. It is a palatial complex surrounded by viewpoints, supply orchards and gardens, where the real protagonist is water. The UNESCO has inscribed him on the list of Heritage.
Photo: Citizen59
There is no agreement on the meaning of the name, "Garden or Architect's Paradise", "The noblest and highest of all orchards" o "Garden of the Upper Paradise", but there is no doubt about its symbolic and poetic charge.
El Generalife Palace, of Nasrid architecture, stands out because it has reached the present day almost intact. The main characteristic of the gardens is their intimate character, which allows you to enjoy the surrounding landscape, and the management of water through the various techniques that the Arabs mastered: fountains, canals, ponds.
Photo: Peter Lorber
Access is made by New Gardens. The whole complex is divided into two terraces. In the lower area there are two patios and in the upper area there are the patios of the Acequia and the Cipreses and the Stairs of the Waters.
Photo: Holycharly
El Patio de la Acequia or the Ría, is crossed by the Acequia Real, the hydraulic axis of the complex. He Patio de los Cipreses or the Sultana It has beautiful sets of fountains and pools in the center and is surrounded by a porticoed gallery from the Christian era. The Water Staircase, formed by three gazebos joined by stairs with railings through which fresh water flows, which is believed to have been used for the monarch's ablutions before prayer in an oratory that no longer exists.
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The visit to the gardens lasts about an hour and cannot be done at night. It has good access for the disabled, except for some flights of stairs. It is open all year, except Christmas and New Years. The general admission is € 6, it is convenient to make the purchase in advance. Detailed information on the official website of the Board of Trustees of the Alhambra.
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