4.611/13 Civil Architecture in Islamic History (HASS)
Instructor: Nasser Rabbat

9- The Hispano-Islamic Villa: The Alhambra
Qur’anic Description of Paradise: The Model?
"Two Gardens....
therein two fountains of running water
And besides these shall be two gardens,
green, green pastures,
therein two fountains of gushing water
therein fruits, and palm-trees, and pomegranates
therein maidens good and comely....
houris, cloistered in cool pavilions....
Of which of your Lord's bounties will you and you deny?"
Sura 55 (al-Rahman) /46-75

Pre-Islamic Precedents:
The Villa of Hadrian, Tivoli, Italy.
The Villas of North Africa: Villa of Dominus Julius, Carthage.

Islamic Precedents:
The Qal‘a of Bani Hammad (1015-1152): In central Algeria, sometime capital of the Hammadids.
Its palatial complex is distinguished by a huge rectangular pool bounded by small rooms and a large pavilion, Dar al-Bahr (Sea Palace).
The Madinat al-Zahra (936-978): Outside of Cordoba, Spain, founded by Abd al-Rahman III, the first Umayyad to declare himself a caliph. Its "Salon Rico" has a basilical plan and overlooks a huge pool to the south.
The Villas of al-Andalus: the Evidence of Bayad wa Riyad

The Alhambra: A name retained from the original al-Qal‘a al-Hamra (the Red Fort), this royal city was the seat of the Nasrids (1238-1492), the last Islamic dynasty in Spain who took Granada as capital. The enclosure is divided into two parts, the Alcazaba, or the fort proper to the west and the Madina, or the royal city to the east. The royal city boasted of numerous palaces and residences, in addition to gardens, suqs, and cemeteries. The most important palaces are:

The Court of Myrtles: Built around 1333 and attributed to Yusuf I, it follows the same
general organization of a Granadine regular residence with a rectangular pool surrounded
by four units on the longitudinal sides and a main reception hall called the Hall of the
Ambassadors to the north that overlooks the city.

The Court of the Lions: Attributed to Muhammad V (1354-59, 1362-91), it is a
marvellous structure arranged around the famous fountain of the lions.

Architectural Properties:
Garden as rectangular enclosure surrounded by high walls
Quadripartite division through a cruciform plan
The importance of vistas from centrally-located pavilions
The soliloquies of the architectural elements

Water Uses:
Central collecting, deep pool or distribution point (taqsim)
Irrigation by channels incorporated in walkways
Sunken bowls at end of channels
Single-stream jets

Character of the Garden:
Contains flowers and medicinal herbs, evergreen and fruit trees and vines
Flower beds are sunk both for aesthetic and irrigation purposes