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Overview of Islamic Gardens: MUSLIM SPAIN

© Alia F. Hasan

Muslims from North Africa invaded Spain as early as 710 CE. However it wasn't until 912 CE, when the Ummayad dynasty was replaced with the Abbasid dynasty and went to Spain to establish their own caliphate, that one can say Muslim occupation officially began. Muslim occupied Spain was referred to as al-Andalus and Cordoba was it's capital. This area had been under the control of the Christians and previous to that by the Romans while also having Jewish cultural influence. Perhaps because the invaders were aware of these influences and because of the fact that the Ummayads were competing with the Abbasids in Baghdad for legitimacy, the Arabs made sure to emphasize a strong Arab culture in al-Andalus and gardens and architecture were a personification of this attempt. This meant that gardens in Spain would have embodied some Spanish- Christian, Roman, and even possibly Jewish ideas that had been transformed into an Islamic layout, specifically the bagh type from Persia. The result is often referred to as the Hispano-Arab garden which now appears more Islamic than anything else.

THE ALHAMBRA

The legacy of the Muslim occupation of Spain is best preserved in Granada, specifically at the Alhambra. The Alhambra, whose full name is Qal'at al-Hamra (arabic) or red fort because of the red clay found in the area, is a fortified complex situated on a hill called Sabikah overlooking Granada. The complex had several patrons including Yusuf b. Naghrallah, a Jewish vizier who built his palace there in 1052 CE, and Muhammed I (1230-72 CE) founder of the Nasrid dynasty. Most of the building had been done by later successors Yusuf I (1333-54 CE) and Muhammed V (1354-91 CE) although after Islamic control Charles V (1516-56 CE) and Philip V (1700-46 CE) made additions and alterations. One of the most noteworthy features about the Alhambra is the close almost indistinguishable relationship between inside and out mentioned earlier at the Chehel Sutun pavilion (previous article). According to Sylvia Crowe in her book Garden Design , "there is perhaps nowhere in the world a more complete inter-penetration of landscape and architecture" than there (p.25). She goes on to describe the features of the place saying:

``Halls, porticoes, arcades and patios lead one into another. The patios with their fountains, flowers and cypresses are rooms open to the air. The rooms with their wide arches open to the view, their plants in tubs and again their fountains are gardens roofed over.' p.25