Generalife
Generalife | |
---|---|
Native name Arabic: جَنَّة الْعَرِيف | |
The Generalife viewed from the Alhambra | |
Location | Granada, Andalusia, Spain |
Built | 14th century |
Governing body | Ministry of Culture |
Official name | Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada |
Type | Cultural |
Criteria | i, iii, iv |
Designated | 1984 (8th session) 1994 (18th session – Extension) |
Reference no. | 314 |
Region | Europe |
The Palacio de Generalife (Spanish pronunciation: [xe.ne.ɾa.ˈli.fe]; Arabic: جَنَّة الْعَرِيف Jannat al-‘Arīf, literally, "Architect's Garden") was the summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid Emirs (Kings) of the Emirate of Granada in Al-Andalus, now beside the city of Granada in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain.
History
The palace and gardens were built during the reign of Muhammad III (1302–1309) and redecorated shortly after by Abu I-Walid Isma'il (1313–1324).
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Alha_Generalife1.jpg/250px-Alha_Generalife1.jpg)
Design
The complex consists of the Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Channel or Water-Garden Courtyard), which has a long pool framed by flowerbeds, fountains, colonnades and pavilions, and the Jardín de la Sultana (Sultana's Garden or Courtyard of the Cypress). The former is thought to best preserve the style of the medieval Persian garden in Al-Andalus.
Originally the palace was linked to the Alhambra by a covered walkway across the ravine that now divides them. The Generalife is one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens.[1]
20th century
The present-day gardens were started in 1931 and completed by Francisco Prieto Moreno in 1951. The walkways are paved in traditional Granadian style with a mosaic of pebbles: white ones from the River Darro and black ones from the River Genil.[2]
The Generalife is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Granada, along with the Alhambra palace and gardens, and the Albayzín district.
See also
References
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A window of the Generalife
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Splash from fountains evaporating off stone cools the air
There is an imitation of part of the Generalife at Roundhay Park in Leeds, UK.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Alhambra and Generalife Official Site
- Alhambra, Generalife and Albayzín, Granada
- Museum With No Frontiers [1]
- BBC Picture Gallery
- Generalife plan
- Buildings and structures completed in 1309
- Alhambra (Spain)
- Palaces in Andalusia
- Gardens in Spain
- Islamic gardens
- Persian gardens in Spain
- Spanish gardens
- Open-air museums in Spain
- Royal residences in Spain
- Buildings and structures in Granada
- Al-Andalus
- Nasrid dynasty
- World Heritage Sites in Spain
- Landscape design history of Spain
- Moorish architecture in Spain