The Courtyards (Patios) - World Heritage

1. “Euro-Flora reinforces European Labor Market”Leonardo da Vinci Partnership project (2012-2014) E-Brochure Landscape design. Spain. • This project is co-financed by the European Commission. This PPP has been produced with the assistance of the European Union. The content of this PPP is the sole responsibility of project partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

2. The Carmen of the Martyrs is located in the surroundings of the Alhambra, south of the walled enclosure with just over seven hectares known by the Christians as the Corral de Captives, and subsequently Campo de los Mártires. Corral was called Captives in memory of the Christian captives who remained in the Arab prisons. It was originally a shrine, and later a Barefoot Carmelite convent established in 1492. This Carmen (traditional house with enclosed garden) is perhaps Granada’s most interesting, not only on account of its size and stunning gardens, but also for the fact that many original architectural elements can be seen retained in a design dating from the 19th century. Thanks to a recent restoration project, you can now see various styles of garden: the French garden, English garden, romantic lake area, vegetable garden, the wood or maze, etc.In the nineteenth century the convent was sold, and after passing through several owners, the palace was built with its gardens. The Carmen of the Martyrs is a romantic set of gardens, a successful blend of French and English styling. Designated an Artistic Garden, its last owner Cristina de la Cruz donated the Carmen de los Mártires to the City of Granada, after a miserable season in which the gardens nearly disappeared.

10. The GeneralifeAlmunia was ideal for gardening and rest. Most of the buildings were residential and much of land was used for grazing and cultivation. The orographic site was divided into terraces. There are four main vegetable gardens. • The vegetable gardens were separated by thick walls, the remains of which can still be seen. Their Spanish names have been preserved for centuries: Colorada (Red), Grande (Large),Fuentepeña(Crag Spring) and Mercería (Haberdashery). The boundaries of each one have remained about the same since Medieval times. A meadow surrounded the premises, where horses and farm animals would graze and the sultan hunt. • The provenance of the term Generalife has long been disputed. Some say it derives from “Jardin” (Garden), or “Huerta del Zambrero” (Zambrero’s Vegetable Garden); also “el más elevado de los jardines” (the highest garden); “casa de artificio y recreo” (house of guile and recreation); “Mansión de placer o recreación grande” (Mansion of pleasure and great recreation); and “Jardín del citarista” (Zither player’s Garden); the most commonly accepted being “Jardin or Jardines del Alarife”, in other words, “The builder or architect’s Garden.”   • Built between the 12th and 14th centuries, the Generalife was used as a place of rest for the Muslim royalty. It was designed as a rural villa in the vicinity of the Alhambra, with decorative garden, fruit and vegetable patches, courts and other structures.

11. The entrance to the Generalife is interesting for two reasons. On the one hand, its exterior part is rural, befitting a country house more than a palace; on the other hand, various courts had to be traversed at different levels in order to reach the interior of the Alhambra palace itself.The vegetable gardens located on the south side of the palace, between the Promenade of the Cypress Trees (Camino de los Cipreses) and the Promenade of the Walnut Trees (Camino de los Nogales), were transformed into landscaped gardens in 1930.

13. The Alcazaba. It was the residential area of the royal guard in charge of the security of the palatial city.

14. The Court of Machuca. Two round fountains with water flowing into a pool in the centre of the court are its main feature.

15. The Court of the Lions-Fountain-Water Jet. The Palace of the Lions  was the architectural pinnacle of the Alhambra. Its celebrated fountain was a symbol of its decorative richness and an example of the complex water system. In addition to its symbolic function the fountain also had a practical purpose. The complex water system allowed the water to flow out in the form of a shallow surface. The central cylindrical unit of the fountain basin allowed the water to flow.t of the fountain.

16. Gates. The Alhambra was surrounded by a wall that protected the enclosure from possible attacks. The wall was connected to the main walls of Granada. There are four main gates in the wall, two on the north side, -the Gate of Arms  and the Gate of the Arrabal -, and two on the south side –the Gate of Justice  and the Gate of the Seven Floors.

17. The Court of the Myrtles. The Main Canal acts as a mirror that reflects the building structures and breaks the structural horizontal lines of the court.

18. The Partal and the gardens. After walking up a narrow landscaped path with a view of Sacromonte, on our left appear the north wall of the Alhambra and the remains of walls and some pavement that mark the location of what is currently called the Court of the Fig Tree. A small pergola leads to a wide esplanade corresponding to the lower terrace of the Partal. To the left is the architectural structure for which the location is named: the Partal Palace portico. As is customary in these buildings, it is situated, like the Palace of Comares, on the premises wall. The portico, with its five arches, overlooks a large pool in the centre of the garden. Behind the portico is the main room, located inside the tower known as Las Damas.

19. Gardens of the San Lorenzo Monastery in El Escorial (Madrid)The gardens extend through the monastery's main cloister, known as the Evangelists' Courtyard (Patio de los Evangelistas), as well as through the southern and eastern forecourts. They are in a sheltered location and receive the best sunlight, making them an ideal place for a pleasant stroll, even in the dead of winter. Philip II, who loved gardens, took a personal interest in these, bringing in specialised gardeners, so that the beds of brightly-coloured flowers bordered by box hedges looked like "fine rugs from Damascus". Today, in these same beds, the hedges interweave designs without flowers. You can enjoy this incomparable place in the different gardens surrounding the monastery: the private King's Garden, the Friars' Garden and the Convalescents' Gallery.

27. La Concepción. JardínBotánico-Histórico de MálagaLa Concepcion Historical-Botanical Gardens belong to the “City of Malaga” Municipal Botanical Trust. They were created in about 1855 by the Marquis and Marchioness of Loring and subsequently extended by the Echevarria-Echevarrieta family. They are home to an exquisite open-air collection of tropical and subtropical flora. Plant species from Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Oceania are all on show here. Officially declared historical-artistic gardens in 1943, they are now also recognised as an Item of Cultural Interest. In spring 1990, the gardens were taken over by Malaga City Council, which opened them to the public on 21st June 1994.The origins of La Concepcion can be traced back to the merging of several estates located to the north of the city of Malaga. These were home to olive and almond trees and possibly vines, though the citrus trees were the most numerous. The gardens’ creators were Jorge LoringOyarzabal and Amalia Heredia Livermore, who purchased the land on which they stand in about 1855. According to written records of the time, they had originally come up with the idea of a garden seven years earlier while on their honeymoon, which saw them embark upon on a tour of Europe. The Marquis and Marchioness’ comfortable economic situation coupled with their first-hand experience of some of Europe’s finest gardens and their commercial dealings abroad enabled them to cultivate the most exotic of plant species from around the world. In order to ensure that their dream came to fruition, they enlisted the services of a French gardener, Chamousst, who selected and planted the gardens’ flora, an endeavour for which he was awarded a number of prizes, as witnessed by newspaper reports of the late XIX century. Following the death of its owners and the family’s economic decline, La Concepcion was bought in 1911 by a married couple from Bilbao, the Echevarria-Echevarrietas, who extended the gardens by creating a number of new areas. In 1990, the entire estate (a total of 49 hectares, taking into account the historical garden plus the surrounding agricultural and forest land) was purchased by Malaga City Council for 600 million pesetas (€3,606,073). In 1991, the “City of Malaga” Municipal Botanical Trust was founded to run and administer the estate. The construction of El Limonero reservoir saw these 49 hectares of land divided into two sections by a road: 26 of these were declared green belt, with the remaining 23 enclosed hectares making up La Concepcion Historical-Botanical Gardens. Once the necessary infrastructure and upgrading work had been carried out, it was opened to the public in 1994 with two main aims: the conservation and improvement of the historical garden and the creation on the estate of a botanical garden (a cultural, educational and scientific centre connected with the world of plants with the majority of its species on display in living collections).

31. The Courtyards (Patios) - World Heritage • Due to the hot, dry Cordoban climate, the city's inhabitants, - first the Romans and later the Moslems - adapted the typical design of the popular house to their needs, making the home centre around an inner courtyard (patio in Spanish), normally with a fountain in the middle and often a well to collect rainwater. The Moslems made further adjustments, giving the house an entrance from the street which passed through a porch, and filling the courtyard with plants to give the sensation of freshness.There are clearly two types of courtyard. The first type is in a one-family home in which the rooms are arranged around the courtyard - it usually has arches and either a clay tiled or decorative pebbled floor. The second type is called a neighbours house (casa de vecinos). Here the individual homes look out onto the courtyard - however, these are much less common nowadays. It usually has two floors and the courtyard is made all the more attractive by the long balconies, staircases and baked clay roof tiles. The floors usually have decorative pebbles and there is often a well instead of a fountain, as well as a communal washing room.Since 1921, the Town Hall has organised a competition of Courtyards and Crosses in the first week of May, and the owners decorate their houses with great care to try and win the prestigious award offered by the authorities. A festival runs in parallel with a number of performances by the best singers and dancers on the scene, while the local fino wine from Montilla-Moriles flows freely and delicious tapas are served. • It is thanks to these events that the Cordoban courtyard is becoming more and more important in popular festivities, and helps the general public to celebrate and welcome these festivals with enthusiasm and hospitality.