Water is everywhere in the ornate and luxurious Alhambra in Granada, Spaina 13th-century palace complex that is one of the most iconic examples of Moorish architecture in the world.
It flows in channels that cool the buildings. It gushes from fountains in grand halls and charming courtyards. And it falls in the form of dew in such a way that, from certain angles, it perfectly frames majestic arched portals.
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The same intricate system brings color to the famous gardens of the Generalifethe former summer palace located next door.
In those days, this was one of the most sophisticated hydraulic networks in the world, able to defy gravity and bring up the water from the river that is almost a kilometer below.
water in islamic culture
The 1,000-year feat still impresses engineers today: in an essay on key moments in human water history, UNESCO’s International Hydrological Program noted that “modern water technology is indebted to the legacy of water gardens and bath houses”.
Spaces that were once enjoyed by the rich and powerful, but that today have made baths and private gardens are affordable and practical.
For millennia, major cities have sprung up on the banks of rivers, the shores of lakes, and the shores of seas.
The same thing happened with the greatkingdom of Granadawhich flourished along the Darro and Genil rivers in what is now the autonomous community of Andalusia.
For the islamic rulers who controlled this and other parts of Spain for nearly 800 yearswater played an integral role in society, not only for survival, but also for religious and aesthetic purposes.
“In Islam, water is the origin of lifeit is symbol of purity and act like purifier of both body and soul. She considers herself pious,” says Rocío Díaz Jiménez, general director of the Board of Trustees of the Alhambra and the Generalife.
Public fountains, decorated with ceramic tiles, abounded in the streets of Andalusian cities. They were installed next to mosques for ablutions (a purification), or near the city gates to quench the thirst of travelers.
Even in the houses, the water was the center of attention. “It was rare that an Andalusian patio did not have a central element of waterno matter how humble. Whether it’s a pool, a fountain or a pond,” says Díaz Jiménez.
“Water is also part of the essence of the Alhambra, a fundamental element for its existence.”
But that wasn’t always the case.
How was the Alhambra built?
Historians believe that the Alhambra was commissioned as a fortress in the 9th century by a man named Sawwar ben Hamdun, during the wars between Muslims and Christians.
However, it was not until the arrival of Muhammad Ithe first king of the Nasrid dynasty, who would rule from 1230 until the Spanish Catholic conquest of 1492, that engineers overcame the challenge of the Alhambra’s elevated location in Sabika hill (840m altitude) and transformed it into a habitable city of 10 hectares with access to fresh running water.
The early Moors had been using ditches simple, or small canals, in the surrounding areas for centuries, based on irrigation techniques they had learned from the Persians and Romans during their expansion across the Mediterranean and the Iberian Peninsula.
The great innovation of the Nasrids was design a system that would carry water 6 km from the nearest river, and then uphill to its elaborate complex of patios, gardens and baths.
As Díaz Jiménez explains, “everything indicates that the Nasrids were the first to bring water to the red hill of Sabika and make it habitable.”
The core of his innovation was the Royal Canal, a channel of 6 km. that was fed by the Darro River.
was built a weir, or damto divert the flow of water upstream, and the force of the river it carried it along the hillside before distributing the water into smaller channels.
were added water wheels, or na’ura, to raise the water to different levels. It then moved through a complex hydraulic structure made up of large ponds, cisterns and a multitude of pipes in a perfectly intertwined network, before being transported to the Generalife gardens and the Alhambra palace itself through an aqueduct.
“The flowing water gives the Alhambra a magical feel,” says Krista Timeus, a tourist who visited in March from Barcelona.
“My favorite view was of the palace and the sky reflected in the large ponds in the inner courtyards. Our tour guide told us that for the Nasrids, having water as a central theme in the palace it was an important symbol of the status and wealth of the area, so it makes sense for it to be a central element of the architecture. It’s hard to imagine the place without her.”
Over time, the irrigation system of the city-palace was expanded: more waterwheels and pools were built, and cisterns were added to collect rainwater.
Later, another canal branched off from the main Acequia Real, called Acequia del Tercio, which raised the water even higher and irrigated the orchards above the Generalife.
One of the most ingenious examples of the hydraulic works of the Alhambra is found in the Palace of the Lions.
In the center of a large, serene courtyard, the Fountain of the Lions shimmers in white marble, surrounded by ornate columns.
The fountain consists of a large plate supported by 12 mythical white cats. Each beast spews water from its mouth, feeding four channels in the marble floor of the courtyard that represent the four rivers of paradise, and then runs throughout the palace to cool the rooms.
Díaz Jiménez described the fountain as the epitome of the system as a whole: “The Fountain of the Lions brings together the knowledge of a technical tradition, the fruit of studies and construction experiences of many centuries, which allowed the creation of the Alhambra”.
The challenge of keeping them
While the Acequia Real was continually updated and expanded over the centuries, other acequias in the area fell into disrepair in the 20th century and ceased to function.
This was the case of the 11th century Aynadamar canal, the oldest canal in the city. Called “Fountain of Tears”, it allowed the development of the medieval quarter of the Albaicin of Granadapart of the area’s Unesco World Heritage status.
This year, José María Martín Civantos, a professor at the University of Granada specializing in medieval history and ancient irrigation techniques, and the conservation organization Fundación Agua Granada are leading a project to restore the Aynadamar canal, continuing the irrigation legacy of the Moors.
Even today, with all our modern technology, there is still much we can learn of these ancient water systems.
For this reason, as Civantos explained, “the works will be carried out according to traditional customs, respecting the original layout and its heritage, as well as the restoration of the riverbed and its surroundings”.
The hope is that the project will also have an impact beyond the Alhambra.
Sebastián Pérez Ortiz, managing director of the Agua Granada Foundation, said that the water will irrigate areas with semi-arid ecosystems and the Aynadamar will become an ecological corridor for the development of native vegetation and a habitat for many animals.
“The ingenious techniques of the Moors show us that innovation and technology do not have to be at odds with conservation and much less with sustainability”, explains Civantos.
“Irrigation systems provide us with a vast ecosystem on which many of our cultural landscapes depend.”
Source: Elcomercio
I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.