La Alhambra Research Articles

Safety assessment of the Torre de la Vela in la Alhambra, Granada, Spain: The role of on site works

The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Granada, which is the area with the highest seismic hazard in Spain. The present work focuses on the seismic safety evaluation of the Torre de la Vela, the main tower of the Alcazaba, the fortress of the Alhambra and the first area of the citadel built in the 13th century. The safety evaluation is carried out using finite element modeling and nonlinear static analyses. In a first phase, a numerical model of the tower was prepared based solely on bibliographic review and a first set of analyses was carried out. In a second phase, the monument was visited and a detailed survey including non-destructive testing was carried out. A second set of analyses was performed using an updated model calibrated with experimental results and the seismic safety assessment was carried out. The results are systematically compared and highlight the importance of on-site works for a correct safety assessment of historic structures.

The Alhambra: Transformation and Change through Architectural Ceramics

In the following paper, we look at the Alhambra from a perspective of architectural ceramics, an essential element in the understanding of the monument. From the Nasrid era onward, glazed ceramic tile mosaics were used to adorn the walls, a style that extended into the Christian conquest, when the palace complex was used as a royal residence. Since then, restoration work has continued to be carried out on the alicatados that cover the Alhambra’s walls, especially during an intense period in the 19th century, when it was the subject of much interest from Romantic travellers to Granada. A detailed, documented analysis of this work shows the complexity of the palace and fortress complex, helping us to better understand a part of its history. In the following pages, we specifically focus on one room in the Alhambra, the so-called Cuarto Dorado (Golden Room), outlining the preliminary findings of a research project that we are undertaking in association with the University of Granada and the Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife (Council of the Alhambra and the Generalife).

Between al-Andalus and Genoa: The “Embriaci Tower” Lustreware

ABSTRACTThis article examines a set of lustreware pottery discovered in the fill of the tower belonging to the Genoese family, the Embriaci. The finds are datable to the mid-thirteenth century, characterised by decorative patterns which are atypical in lustreware production in al-Andalus, though some comparisons can be drawn with the decorative patterns of the “vasos de la Alhambra” and the pottery known as “nazarí primitive”. The context of the discovery in Genoa will briefly be outlined, including the story of the family settlement (Part 1), the stratigraphic sequence (Part 2), and the stylistic connections to other pottery characterising it (Part 3). The formal and decorative elements characterising the lustreware pottery found in the Embriaci Tower will then be examined and compared (Part 4) with finds from the Upper Tyrrhenian region (Provence, Savona, Pisa). Part 5 will suggest that the finds are a specific type of decorated lustreware produced in the thirteenth century in al-Andalus (Murcia, Málaga and Almería). The concluding part (Part 6) will investigate the meaning of the presence of the set of imported ceramics in the “curia” of the Embriaci family in Genoa.This type of pottery has only been discovered hitherto in excavation finds and architectural contexts (the so called “bacini”) in Italy and France. The identification of decorative and formal elements characterising this “group” of pottery will allow the identification of examples of this production outside of Italy and France. The publication of the findings will provide new data to develop an archaeological overview of commercial contacts between al-Andalus and the Tyrrhenian area (Provence, Liguria, Tuscany) during the thirteenth century.

Redibujando la puerta de las armas

<p>El presente artículo, es un fragmento de mi futura tesis doctoral: “De la QASABAT al-QADIMA a la ALCAZABA ROJA”, en la que se realiza un detallado estudio de la Alcazaba de la Alhambra, elaborado gracias a la compilación de la diversa y amplia información existente sobre la misma. En este contexto se elige la Puerta de las Armas, por ser un elemento clave tanto en el funcionamiento de la Alcazaba como en el de la propia Ciudadela de la Alhambra. Con objeto de conocer los valores universales de la Alcazaba, nos aproximamos a uno de sus elementos, como modelo de construcción defensiva, que siendo referencia y ejemplo de edificación militar, se fue adaptando en el entorno y aprovechando los beneficios de éste; modificando y amoldándose a las necesidades del momento. Se ofrece una descripción detallada del elemento, su evolución histórica y su caracterización arquitectónica, concluyendo con nuevos y actualizados levantamientos planimétricos e infografías.</p>

Charting trends in the evolution of the La Alhambra forest (Granada, Spain) through analysis of pollen-emission dynamics over time

Changing climate conditions are having an appreciable impact both on the adaptive response of the species growing in urban and peri-urban forests (UPF) and on their evolutionary dynamics. This study sought to chart the evolution and pollen dynamics of major species growing in the La Alhambra peri-urban forest (Granada, Spain) over the last 22 years, to examine correlations with weather-related parameters and to estimate potential trends in the event of future climate change. Findings showed that overall pollen levels have gradually increased over the study period, reflecting both plant species diversification and the ability of Mediterranean species—particularly Pinus and Quercus—to adapt to short-term water stress situations. Nevertheless, the climate conditions expected over the coming years in the Mediterranean region, with considerable increase in winter temperatures and a drop in precipitation by up to 24 % for summer rainfall, there is likely to be a reduction in the intensity of pollen emissions, at least from species with strict environmental requirements. The results confirm that pollen emission is a valuable biological indicator for estimating the adaptive response of various species and the resilience of the forest mass to climate-change events.

Puerta Nueva: atrio de la Alhambra

Aspectos generales de la intervención. Valores históricos del área de intervención. Preexistencias y elementos de interés. Terraza mirador sobre la Alhambra. Movilidad, programas y usos. El hall del Atrio Plaza de la Alhambra. El material. Jardineria, arbolado y pavimentos The Atrium is a space ready to welcome visitors upon arrival at La Alhambra under appropriate conditions in such important heritage. The aim is to meet the needs of a broad spectrum of visitors of different characteristics and resolve the current precarious situation experienced by the visitor who keeps lining up outdoors -under cold, heat or rain- and reorder toursim’s mobility flows in a very unstructured and chaotic area.
 The architectural intervention is integrated with the topography and environment, inspired by the Generalife terraced platforms and by the closed volumes of the Alhambra. An architecture made from identity values of the Alhambra. Local materials and elements are used for its construction: pergolas with vegetation, cobbled pavements and floors of compacted earth and brick, courtyards with pools of water, native trees, concrete walls and overhead lighting.

Multidisciplinary, diachronic methodology for the conservation of archeological remains. Restoration of the Arab baths of the San Francisco Parador Hotel in the grounds of the Alhambra (Granada, Spain)

Abstract The renovation of the San Francisco de la Alhambra Parador hotel in Granada (Spain) involved preserving the archaeological remains of its Arab baths. The methodology included researching the history and documentary evidence of the baths, extensive archaeological excavation of the site with structural and stratigraphic analysis of the remains, characterisation of the materials used in its construction, detection of pathologies and an evaluation of the conservation strategy required. The multidisciplinary approach to archaeology has contributed new information about the structure of the baths and their evolution over time. This data has formed the basis of a project to restore the site that involved de-restoration and restoration of the baths and a critical analysis of the techniques used to restore it at various stages of its history. Our aim was to restore the baths as part of the Alhambra and Generalife complex in Granada.

Environmental and mechanical aspects of an anchored mesh for stabilisation of a cliff at La Alhambra

The wire meshes described herein are anchored flexible steel nets used for slope stabilisation. They enable post-tensioned loads to be transmitted to the ground through anchors. The objective of this work is to consider the design of these systems and their environmental impact. Extensive laboratory tests on normalised meshes were conducted in order to assess their parameters in simulated field conditions. The simple theoretical equations employed by the specialised enterprises for design are presented. The design is applied to San Pedro Cliff, a unique geological transgression. It is a dihedral, 65.5 m (215 ft) high, which has progressed to place itself at a distance of 23.8 m (78 ft) from the Alhambra palace that is a World Heritage site. The western part of the cliff is a fault-line scarp, modified by river erosion and latterly by successive slab falls. Stability analyses suggest that the factor of safety of this slope under 1,000-year return period earthquake loading may drop below 1.0 and the critical slip surface could penetrate the Alhambra walls. To raise the safety factor up to 1.0 and to counteract extensional stress in the cliff, a solution with minimal visual impact is proposed, consisting of a high-yield-stress wire mesh, post-tensioned by anchors and coloured to blend with the cliff. Two-dimensional finite element analyses have allowed testing the design methods indicated above. It is shown that the simple methods used up to now have many shortcomings.

THE MOORISH MYRTLE, HISTORY, AND RECOVERY OF ALHAMBRA GARDEN LOST SPECIES (MYRTUS COMMUNIS L. SUBSPECIES BAETICA CASARES ET TITO)

The gardens of the Alhambra and the Generalife (Granada, Spain) present several hundred years old specimens of a very rare type of Myrtus. They are characterised by crowded, large leaves frequently arranged in trimerous whorls. The morphology of these myrtles proves to be peculiar and clearly sets the samples found in Granada as different from both wild specimens and other commonly cultivated forms. Compared studies reveal that this was the main type of myrtle used during the Middle Ages in the Islamic gardens of the Iberian Peninsula. Knowledge of this plant and its use has been lost in Europe since the Renaissance until the present day. However it is still grown in the U.S. and Morocco In this article we analyse the identity of these plants; describe the importance of their use in the medieval gardens of al-Andalus; investigate the cultivation and knowledge of myrtle in classical, Medieval-Islamic and modern times; localise the plant’s distribution and identify the possible routes of its dispersal from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe, America and South Africa. Knowledge of the plant’s historical importance can be used to reintroduce it in Europe and encourage cultivation in the U.S. This paper presents the results of the research project “Estudio Botanico e historiografico de Myrtus en la Alhambra y Generalife”, supported by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife and the Junta de Andalucia, which the authors are working on.

The historic man‐made soils of the Generalife garden (La Alhambra, Granada, Spain)

SummaryWe studied the soils of the Patio de la Acequia garden of the Generalife, a palatial villa forming part of La Alhambra, a World Heritage Site in Granada, Spain. This garden, which is estimated to be around 700 years old, is the oldest historical garden in the Western World. The soils are man‐made cumulimollihumic‐calcaric (hypereutric, anthric) Regosols. Noteworthy amongst the main pedogenic processes, in relation to the human activities of cultivation, irrigation and tillage, are horizonation, melanization (the contents of organic carbon varied between 0.59% and 8.87%, and those of P205 extracted with citric acid between 723 mg kg−1 and 7333 mg kg−1, with maximae in the Ap horizons) and structure formation. The soil fabric, studied at the ultramicroscopic level using scanning electron microscopy, is of laminar and partition‐walls’ type in the lower horizons, depending on the microped zones. The partition‐walls’ fabrics found are different to those of the possible pre‐existing sedimentary fabrics. These are numerous lithological discontinuities and at least two burials, leading us to deduce that there have been two main stages of filling with materials in the formation of these soils. The first is Arabic‐Medieval (13th century), when the garden was created, its surface being some 50 cm below the level of the paved area of the present patio. In the deeper parts, the materials employed in the fill are similar to the in situ soils of the zone, unaffected by the buildings. The second stage is Christian (15th century to the present day). During this period the Medieval garden was gradually buried under a layer of materials from the nearby soils and/or sediments mixed with manure until the surface was only just below the level of the paved area of the patio. In this work we discuss the difficult classification of these relatively little studied soils. In spite of their being clearly related to human activity, they are not classified as Anthrosols in the FAO system (1998) because soil materials cannot be classified as anthropopedogenic or as anthropogeomorphic.

Documentation concerning the Role of Ricardo Wall (1694-1777) in the Restoration of the Arab Palace of La Alhambra

Documentation concerning the Role of Ricardo Wall (1694-1777) in the Restoration of the Arab Palace of La Alhambra

Language teaching

Language teaching

El análisis estratigráfico constructivo aplicado en casos específicos: los Baños Árabes de Hernando de Zafra (Granada) y la Galería Superior del Patio de los Arrayanes de la Alhambra de Granada

En el texto se presentan dos casos, muy diversos entre ellos, de aplicación del análisis estratigráfico constructivo. En el primer caso, el estudio de los Baños Árabes de Hernando de Zafra, el estudio estratigráfico constituía parte de un estudio previo más amplio y de un proyecto de restauración y recuperación de los espacios del baño, que podía proponer la demolición de una serie de elementos añadidos más recientes en el tiempo. El estudio estratigráfico tenía dos objetivos: por una parte la documentación de todos los elementos que se eliminarían posteriormente con la obra de restauración; por otra parte, la facilitación de la lectura de las diferentes conformaciones que el baño había tenido en el transcurso de su historia. En el segundo caso, el estudio de la Galería Superior del Patio de los Arrayanes de la Alhambra, el análisis estratigráfico constructivo constituía parte de un estudio más amplio, el estudio histórico constructivo. Este estudio fue desarrollado por un equipo formado por un historiador, un arquitecto técnico, dos arquitectos y un geólogo y se presenta como ejemplo de un estudio pluridisciplinar donde el trabajo se desarrolló realmente en equipo y no fue solamente el resultado de la adición apilada de diferentes trabajos.

Characterization of metal threads using differential PIXE analysis

The external differential-PIXE technique is presented in this work as an efficient and non-destructive tool for the characterization of the structure of ancient metal threads. A PIXE analysis for different proton energies has been performed in a selection of gold and silver threads belonging to the Collection of Textiles of La Alhambra (19th century) and to the Medieval Collection of Textiles of the National Archaeological Museum of Spain. The threads are made of metal strips, wound around a silk or cotton core. The use of differential PIXE allows to distinguish strips made of homogeneous alloys from those made of a silver and copper alloy, coated with a thin gold layer. In the same analysis it is also possible to detect the presence or absence of some trace elements of archaeological interest, such as Pb or Hg.