An unparalleled Islamic legacy, the exquisite Alhambra Palace — with its paradisiacal gardens along with the Generalife or summer palace of the sultans — continue to delight the senses nearly 700 years after they were first constructed. The name Generalife means ‘garden of the architect.’ This architectural-cum-garden heritage showcases the golden age of Muslim rule in Spain under the Moors and the artistic and cultural richness and sophistication of that period. Gardens, in their own way, also allow us to understand the social, economic and political life of the era to which they belonged and the Moorish gardens succeed in doing this particularly well.

Situated on a hilltop with commanding views over Granada and with the Sierra Nevada mountains as a backdrop, the Alhambra was built as a fortified site. The high, austere walls concealed a mini town within and the palace was the seat of the ruling sultans: Yusuf I (ruled 1333-53), the seventh Nasrid ruler of the Emirate of Granada, and his son Mohammad V (1353-91).

Following the Muslim conquest of Spain and the founding of Granada in the eighth century, a large area came under Muslim rule but the northern part of this region was retaken by the Christians in the 13th century, leaving Granada as the centre of a smaller — though still immensely influential — Islamic kingdom for the next 300 years. The palaces and gardens of the Alhambra and the Generalife illustrate the genius of the Moors and their unique sense of grandeur and aesthetics. Paradoxically, it is a grandeur based on seeming simplicity, which is perhaps the hardest of all to achieve, and herein lies their greatness.

The sultans’ gardens of the Alhambra Palace in Granada showcase the golden age of Muslim rule in Spain

The palace and gardens are intertwined so that it is not possible to speak of one without the other. It was a hot summer day when I visited, the clear blue sky offering no respite from the sun. But stepping inside the walls of the palace into cool rooms decorated with exquisitely carved details of Arabic calligraphy, the mind was instantly soothed and transported to another time and place. The rooms flow effortlessly into courtyards where the play of light and shade cast its own spell amidst the sound of gently bubbling water and splashes of green foliage.

The architecture, proportions, design and workmanship impart an ethereal quality to the complex of rooms and gardens modelled after the Chahar bagh concept of Islamic gardens with their reference to paradise, the courtyards divided into four quadrants by shallow channels of running water with cooling fountains at their centre and the fragrance of flowers perfuming the air. In this Mediterranean climate, pomegranates hung from trees, some still bedecked with the remnants of their orange-coloured blossoms rendering an earthly interpretation of paradise.

Water plays an important role in this paradise and gives the garden beauty and life as it splashes, trickles and bubbles from fountains and ponds and through shallow rills. It has a mesmerising quality, providing a soothing coolness for the mind and the eye. There is no water source at the site, all of it being brought from the hills above the Generalife by a complex system of engineering. This was a time when engineering systems were being developed and transporting water for the gardens from the hills above the Darro River show the technological prowess of the Moors and the wealth that allowed them to do so.

Flowing water from fountains and rills is also used to connect the inside with the outside. Surrounding the courtyards are beautiful arches held aloft on slim pillars and carved with verses from the Quran. Other designs carved in alabaster appear like delicate filigree work with intricate swirls of flowers and leaves in the Islamic tradition with references to heavenly fruits such as pomegranates and figs. These courtyards were originally small private gardens that were interconnected through surrounding passageways. Some of the walls no longer exist and have been replaced by low hedges of box myrtle, giving the impression of a larger, more open garden instead of the private intimate spaces they were meant to be.

Amongst the courtyard gardens, the simple Court of the Myrtles conveys the essence of the Islamic garden concept with a central, shallow pool bordered by low myrtle hedges that were added in the 19th century and whose reflection in the still water adds depth and dimension.

In the Court of the Lions, the intimate space is divided into quadrants by shallow rills of flowing water with a central stone fountain borne on the backs of 12 stone lions whose bare teeth spout trickling water into the rills. The rooms enclosing the courtyard are symmetrically placed and the water flows into the outdoor space from within, connecting the two seamlessly. The quadrants surrounding the lions were austerely filled with gravel when I visited but garden historians believe that originally the space would have been the repository for lemon and orange trees to delight the senses with their fragrance and visual beauty.

The Generalife, a hunting lodge and summer palace built for the Sultans is visible on a hill just across the valley from the Alhambra. Looking across at it from the Alhambra you can see the distinct shapes of the clipped cypresses lining the pathway along the retaining walls of the summer palace. Inside, the cypresses form dense hedges of brilliant green with arched passageways cut into the foliage that terminate at focal points. These openings draw the eye along, creating a sense of movement until it comes to rest on fountains gurgling in small stone basins. There are pebbled pathways, with water channel inserts that are bordered by smaller hedges, and there is a sense of coolness all around, a serene calm enhanced by the fragrance of roses.

At the heart of the Generalife is the Patio de la Acequia or the Court of the Long Pond, with criss-crossing jets of arching water, a later addition attributed to the Renaissance. The showy water jets are an aberration because they don’t sit well with the sophistication of the low-key ambience where water bubbles gently in fountains and flows along rills imparting a languid serenity.

The writer is a garden designer qualified from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, London

Published in Dawn, EOS, May 6th, 2018