The exotic Alhambra palace and garden was the last stronghold for the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula, which fell in 1492 to the Christian forces of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, the first Spanish monarchs. The Reconquest of Spain and the discovery of the New World happened within months of each other.
The Moors were an Islamic culture on the Iberian Peninsula that was open and very tolerant of all Spanish Jews and Christians living in their territory. From 711 - 1492, almost 800 years, they enriched the region with a rich heritage of Islamic architecture, craftsmanship, literature, agriculture and engineering technology.
During the era of the Crusades, it was the Moors who preserved and translated the texts of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers and scholars, which made them available to the Western World. The works of Aristotle were among those precious texts that survived the depredations of the Crusaders' destruction. Aristotle had classified climates into three types: Greece and the Mediterranean region were considered as temperate and the only zone suitable for civilized life; the areas in the north were too frigid and stormy; while the regions to the south were too torrid for any but the barbarians.
Granada, despite being situated at 2000 ft., has a Mediterranean climate which is defined by a long dry period through spring, summer, and fall followed by often horrendous rains during the winter. Throughout history, every Mediterranean civilization has been forced to deal with the problem of water shortages at various times of the year and in part, it was the availability of water or the ease of building water systems and storage that determined the location of cities in Iberia.
Long stretches of Roman aqueducts litter the landscape of the Mediterranean, and in southern Spain, the now-still water wheels of the Moors are silent testament to their complex hydraulic engineering technology.
A visit to Alhambra and the adjacent Generalife gardens (once the summer residence of the Moorish sultans) highlights how the Moors incorporated water - the essence of life - into this richly decorated environment. Water still burbles from 14th century fountains, which are the focal points of the courtyards of the palaces and gardens. Complex arrangements of calligraphy, floral and faunal designs decorate intricately carved stucco walls and arches.
The garden is the dream of any landscape architect - its lush vegetation and water elements are in perfect harmony. The feeling of tranquility and delight that invades every spirit who sits calmly amongst this beauty, must surely be one of the 'Secrets of the Alhambra'. If you close your eyes, you can be magically transported to another realm - one that is both foreign and exotic.
