The Islamic Garden … A Paradise on Earth
Granada: Generalife Gardens © Alice Joyce
Should the Arab world be outside your reach, you’ll find that most memorable effect fully realized in the gardens of the Alhambra, looming over the city of Granada in southern Spain’s Andalusia region. Despite the crowds you may expect to encounter, a tour of Granada rightly pivots upon the Alhambra’s wonders: The immense hilltop complex standing as a testament to eras of occupation by Romans, Goths, and the control of Christian monarchs after 1492. Yet, the grandeur of the Alhambra monument resides in neither the surviving citadel nor the palace of Charles V, but rather in the Medieval epoch’s Nasrid palaces, and the exquisite gardens of the sultan’s retreat, El Generalife – created by Muslim rulers.
Alhambra – Torre de las Damas © Alice Joyce
Avid hikers may choose to follow a maze of narrow, winding streets to the monument’s gateway, but a bouncing ascent aboard a minibus is the usual transport from Granada‘s centrally located Plaza Nueva: The Nasrid Palaces – Inside the gracefully proportioned halls of the Nasrid palaces, a spell is cast by vast sweeps of rhythmically carved motifs, covering plaster walls and soaring wooden ceilings. The visual feast is heightened by the carvings known as muqarnas: A unique tiered ornamentation that adorns countless domes, vaults, niches, and at times emerges in the shape of stalactites.
Generalife Roses Vignette © ALICE JOYCE
El Generalife – Positioned high above the surrounding river valleys, the Moorish-designed royal gardens of the Alhambra and the Generalife manifest the ideals of an earthly paradise in sheltered courtyards cooled by shallow marble fountains or mirror-like pools of water. Providing an escape from the intense Mediterranean sun the gardens are replete with luxuriant vegetation; cypress, myrtle, and box shrubbery; abundant citrus, plum and magnolia trees. A floral perfume sweetens the air of the Generalife, where peering through arches sculpted out of massive, architectural hedges, you’ll savor images of canals flanked by allées of roses.
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Alice, what a gorgeous garden! I especially like the reflection pool and the amazing hedges. Really nice!
Thanks, Kimberly. The Alhambra and Generalife – surely one of the most exquisite sites I have ever had the pleasure to tour.
Wonderful pics and post. It is always a pleasure to visit. jim
Thanks for sharing these beautiful gardens Alice! I would love to go to The Alhambra one day. Although there is no order in my garden, there is something about the order of that garden that really appeals to me. I think it is the linking element of the water, it is so inviting!
This is a lovely place and the photos are splendid. I love to read travel sites and garden reviews.
Such beautiful gardens, and the sculpted hedges are amazing!
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These photos bring back great memories! My son (now a grown-up archaeologist) was only 5 years old. We totally missed El Generalife on our first day at Alhambra. We went back the second day and were stunned by the beauty! A great place.
Alice, you take me back to Granada when I visited there in (ugh) 1978!. God, I’m old ( I was in high school! Now, I want to go back, I can remember the scent of these gardens most of all, spicy carnations, orange blossoms, and broom. I think it’s time to return, I think! I also think that I can spend more time exploring your site!
Thanks.
This is so beautiful. Everything about it, but I especially like the hedges. They look like living sculptures.