Garden Art in Spain that has Lasted over 1000 Years! | A Glimpse of Paradise

[Music] Andalucia was a part of the Islamic world for nearly 800 years Gardens here are a reminder of this period through until today how did this Epoch shape garden art in southern Spain and what roles did handicrafts and architecture have in all of this we set out on a voyage of Discovery to the roots of European garden art which are over a thousand years old and is lamic [Music] we start our garden pilgrimage at the alhamra in Granada which was under Islamic rule until the 15th century this giant castle complex is not only a textbook example of Moorish architecture but also of garden diversity of course it is no longer quite what it was but it still conveys an impression of an approach to life it is also a pleasant place to spend some time among the plants and Broad water surfaces even in in the hottest weather the alhamra is a demanding task for the gardener christobal Romera for example a man with a very emotional relationship to his workpl my relationship with the alhamra dates from my childhood I lived in the alhamra in the BHA tower for 3 years my father worked here too for 35 years and I have now worked here for 33 it is my [Applause] life water brings life to the alhamra gardens the famous water staircase still leads down through the grounds today starting from the highest point the Arabs succeeded in bringing the water here a distance of 8 km up River it also IR Gates Gardens that are at first hidden from visitors the aranes courtyard a representational site where the Amir received his visitors most of them came from Desert regions and were impressed by the enormous water surface that was unique in the Middle Ages we would like to find out more about this Garden from the botanist Jose Tito Rojo the Ariana Courtyard is probably the oldest Garden in the world that has still kept its original form it has a surprisingly modern and minimalistic effect a rectangle of white marble one of Myrtle and another of water it is minimalistic yet nonetheless a medieval Garden certain [Music] the Arabs brought many plants with them to Al andelo the useful and the purely beautiful they range from the Obin to the Damascus Rose but the most characteristic is Merinda the plant was even used as a metaphor for Gardens there are poems in which a king is criticized for dedicating himself to collecting myrtle plants instead of fighting Wars as a king usually does [Music] the Basin is fed on the two front sides by bubbling fountains their flow cleverly slowed down so that the quiet mirror surface of the water is not disturbed by the [Music] movement when the sun is directly over the Courtyard at midday and a light Breeze is also Rippling the water the delicate stucco work comes to [Music] life stalactite vaults of this kind could be found in Persian Gardens at an earlier [Music] period Garden lovers were open to influences from around the world even in that early time [Music] curled Palm leaves and Pines are typical decorative motifs at the alhamra calligraphy praising God and the Amir embellish the surrounding walls the azuos are Masterworks of Arab Andalusian [Music] art in a studio set among the mountains behind Granada we enter into the mild and medieval color world of the azuos as created by Fatima kada and her daughter LZ LZ helps her mother with the complex work these very small tiles demand they are so small that they must first be prepared in the studio before going to the crafts people who do the tile laying work Fatima quesada not only produces tiles she also creates the different shapes and colors for the precisely as they used to be in the Middle Ages all of these tasks need preparation her daughter L places many parts together until the standard size of a tile is reached she then sticks them together temporarily the adhesive can be removed once the tile has been correctly [Applause] placed Fatima sets out the entire pattern numbering and sticking all the units together as preparation work for the how did she find her way to the ancient craft of tile maker I was a ceramist at Madrid art school and was asked to make some aulos by the director at first I felt a little insulted because I wanted to be creating works of art as a ceramist but today I am proud to be a tile maker I make my small geometrical tiles with my own colors and I am happy because they are not only good for a tiled wall or a museum but apart from that they have been used for many years by virtually everyone people love color in the countries of the South I often say the north Europeans are afraid of color but down here in the South the sphere is unknown and we combine all colors a German would never use all colors in his house no only one or two white or gray that represents an entirely different tradition [Music] [Music] her efforts to revive the color traditions of medieval Al andelo involved many years of research into the various minerals that had once been used she had to decide for herself what minerals to use and then mix the different shades [Music] Fatima quesada shares her Fascination for the Arab love of Beauty with Manuel Garcia the landscape architect has built a home in the Bay of Mara in southern Spain it is as magnificent as the Palace of an Amir and there is a reason why this idea comes to mind I was born in Al andalo in an old Hispanic Arab Courtyard house in the center of Mara Courtyard houses and Hispanic Arab Gardens are my life this natural sense of being part of a long tradition still appears to flourish today although the Arab Epoch ended centuries ago linear water courses and groups of fountains belong to the distinctive repertoire of Manuel Garcia in his work as a garden designer the Arab cultural heritage is the foundation he builds on yes I am an heir of the Andalusian garden art tradition maintaining this culture is my obligation because it is ever more in danger of being forgotten the Heritage needs to be protected by caring for the medieval Gardens of Al and deloose it is important here to follow a rule the Hispanic Arab Garden always has a central axis that divides the garden into two areas this is usually with the use of water or in the case of this Garden where there is no water with a central axis path directing your gaze to focus on a single point this is a a perfect Hispanic Arab Garden but it is only one possibility out of many there are thousands of gardens within this system and The crucial element in them all is the creativity of the artist it is not enough simply to create the axis making a garden is always far more complicated we can see how complex in his garden the high cypresses have the effect of Slender columns untypical for an Arab Garden which ought to be laid out starting from the top like a carpet pattern the combination however of pomegranates and Roses the useful and the Beautiful is a traditional concept we set out for the nearby city of Malaga where Arab life in Europe had its Beginnings 1,300 years ago Malaga flourished in the Middle Ages with its trading port [Music] the alcazaba The Citadel of Malaga had already been built in the 11th century it was the residence of the Arab rulers and the ground plan later served as a pattern for the alhamra in [Music] Granada the Arabs brought bitter orange trees with them from North Africa and planted them even in their fortifications this is because they created Gardens wherever they [Music] settled they needed water to do this and they directed it down from the highest point through the entire garden water was a precious commodity for them they paid homage to it in Open Water courses and superb fountains they wanted to be surrounded by the sight of clear water and to hear the refreshing sounds it makes the Arabs built with bricks even in those Early times and this me me assured rapid building progress but in the final analysis Beauty was the one thing that mattered only a few last remnants of the decoration have survived but it is not difficult to imagine what oases these inner Courtyards must have been [Music] the channels were laid in curves to slow down the flow of the water but there was a second reason why they favored this shape their so-called elbow Gates were also built to a similar principle to slow down attackers they managed to slow them down until the end of the 15th century when the Catholic Kings finally succeeded in reconquering Malaga and permitted few Muslim families to remain in the city we are on our way to Cordoba a thousand years ago it was the capital of Al andalo and also a city of fabled gardens has this tradition left any traces Corda has remained to this day a symbol for the peaceful coexistence of three religions during the Middle Ages Muslims Jews and Christians lived in these alleys the houses here give the impression of being closed to the outer world as is common in the Arab countries but the walls hide a specialty of Cordoba the patios as the inner Courtyards are known had their Origins with the Romans and their Atrium Villas the Arabs adopted this architectural style because it functions so well even today araseli aona Waters the little plant pots for several hours every day she loves to share with visitors here passion for the patio tradition of her [Music] City situated on the banks of the river guadal Cordoba had the water it needed to become a city of gardens there were once some 5,000 water wheels at work raising the river water the mesita was once the main mosque today it is a cathedral the orange tree Courtyard dating from the 8th century is considered to be the oldest Garden in the world but the historian Pedra Mai has a surprise we have no information about the plants here in the early days but we know that under the rule of the omad dynasty the law Malaki prohibited any vegetation in Courtyards but plants were still grown despite this law since when have oranges been grown then in the mosquito Courtyard I believe the orange trees must have been introduced with the structural changes made during the Brock period this was when the Santa Maria Fountain was built it is probable that the ground level was raised and that orange trees were planted with their trunks continuing the line of the building interior columns to create a barck theater I believe olive trees and Palms here previously there is a 600y old olive tree and it is still flourishing it is not in line with the other trees in the courtyard and this means it is older than the Barack Fountain and the rest of the courtyard apart from that we know from the Christian emblems of Corda dating from the 13th century that the mesita was originally shaded by palm trees the most famous Islamic orange tree Courtyard of the Middle Ages is thus in reality a Barack creation an interesting [Music] revelation we encounter some remnants of the Arab City walls dating from the 10th Century these surrounded the city as a defense for centuries the andalusians wanted nothing more to do with their Arab Heritage the Christian conquerors took over the buildings from their predecessors and an Arab Palace together with its Gardens became the residence of the Catholic Kings we no longer know what these look like at that time what we can see today dates from the middle of the last century and it was inspired by the Islamic Garden tradition in which water played such an important [Music] role nonetheless the garden is divided into different areas with Alleyways and neatly trimmed hedges in the manner of the classic European garden a visit is especially rewarding in autumnn when the opulent cogia and the delicate roses are bathed in a soft light about 60 years ago the mayor of Cordoba recognized the tourism potential of the Arab Garden Heritage and he combined it with the Romantic image of the Orient this includes the cypresses although these trees first arrived in The Gardens of Andalucia in the 19th century [Music] one thing that has been maintained through all the ages however is the irrigation [Music] method in the early hours of the morning when the heat has not had time to evaporate the water the gardeners flood the flower beds and the soil soaks full with water several ages coexist in the garden the traditional and the modern Jose Alvarez was born in Cordoba and he reflects on the final moments in the tumultuous history of his [Music] City there is no doubt that Islam expanded from North Africa as was usual at the time but the different religions nevertheless experienced moments of peaceful life in harmonious coexistence what we are talking about here are three religions but a single Andalusian culture it was a culture that permitted a coexistence of the religions Each of which enriched the [Music] others one example of this interreligious enrichment in Andalusian Society of the late Middle Ages can be found in the B Chapel it was built by a group of people known as the muda these were Muslims who stayed here after the [Music] reconquest their clients were Christians and as a result the architecture they created is Christian but the decoration is Arab it consists purely of ornament because the mud lost their feel for the Arabic language as time passed Corda is a fruitful ground for old handycraft traditions Jose Carlos vjo is a Craftsman in leather he makes what are known as guad mer sheep skins are stretched over a wooden frame completely covered in gold or silver leaf and then painted in the last phase the lines must be drawn for the final embossing I am the third generation that has worked on the Revival of the original GUI of the caliphate of Corda the technique we discovered dates from the 10th Century the finest item are on display in a small Museum which is Uncle built this Uncle was also the man who researched the medieval technique for over 50 years small metal stamps are used to emboss the pattern into the fine leather the technique is mostly used to produce picture frames today but in the Middle Ages giant guadas decorated the walls in the palace city of madinat Alara nature there are legends and written Chronicles that document how m was known as The Magnificent whenever the sun Shone over the city the GUI on the palace walls were a brilliant blaze of gold and [Music] silver there are many other written records ATT testing how GUI were first made in Corda at madinat Alara madinat Alara is a palace City in a geometrical layout with Gardens dating from the 10th Century it was constructed in several Terraces on the foothills of the Sierra [Music] Moren the khif resided in the highest sector the court officials in the middle and the ordinary people were at their feet [Music] the water for the garden complex was brought here by a 19 km long [Music] Aqueduct exactly how these Gardens looked is not known but pollen tests have shown that fruit trees grew here and these were only of types that had always been native to the region such as the strawberry tree the giant water surface reflects the power of the khif The Garden of the prince this is a small garden but the Stony structure gives a very clear idea of what it must once have looked [Music] like pollen Studies have shown that plum trees and basil grew here the useful and the Beautiful always hand in hand even in a princely garden a only in a few points is it now possible to imagine how magnificent it must once have appeared these Gardens were greatly admired a thousand years ago and influence the garden art of Andalucia for example in Seville bitter oranges have flourished here since the 8th Century they were introduced by the Arabs the streets of the city are full of the ripe fruit in January every year the Absurd thing about this is no one knows what to do with them the Spaniards are not fond of bitter oranges even for the Arabs the intense perfume of the blossom was much more interesting than the fruit the Arabs love orange flower water and use it as an aroma in their sweets today the ripe oranges are taken to a factory for processing and AER emge as a puree which is used for example by the English to make their familiar bitter orange marmalade the important thing here is to keep the fruit pulp separate from the peel which is cut in either thick or thin strips depending on the taste of the user the two are only mixed at the end of the process and exported abroad in this form as fruit mixtures in the alaza in Seville the rulers of the alahad dynasty greatly valued the beauty of the orange trees King almut had trees with white blossoms only planted for his wife from Cordoba because she greatly missed the snow on the mountains first the almond and then the orange blossoms transformed the gardens into white landscapes in the extensive Palace Gardens stands the Alcoa a pavilion dating from moish times which has been surrounded by orange trees from time IM Memorial and this this is the oldest orange tree in the world it dates from The 14th Century at that time there was already a Catholic King Pedro I first who titled himself Sultan Arab culture was so strongly anchored at the time that he had his new Palace built in Arab style and an inner Courtyard Garden was essential it is a curious story a Catholic King has his Palace built by Muslim Architects lent to him by his friend Muhammad the fifth who in turn had to stop the work on his own construction site the alhamra for 3 years the new Palace was financed by Jewish Bankers Manuel hot a historian and working at the alaza tells us the tumultuous history of what was known as the courtyard of the [Music] virgins this Garden was buried during the 16th century because it was not felt to be suitable for a European way of life a large space in which concerts and banquets could be held was now wanted instead so the garden was buried under a layer of sand and covered with marble slabs seven years ago during an architectural dig we discovered that the original Garden dating from the 14th century is still intact we cleared away the sand and discovered the courtyard of the virgins we took pollen samples and discovered traces of violets and orange trees original bitter oranges from The 14th Century the dark points Mark the openings from which the water once ran to flood the flower beds that were on a lower level when people strolled through the garden their noses were on the same level as the finally perfumed flowers we are leaving the Shaded Royal Courtyard and are traveling to Ronda it is built on a mountain plateau and is divided in the middle by a 100 m deep gorge the location has been inhabited since the earliest times and during the Middle Ages it achieved enormous significance as the crossroads of several important trade routes Ronda today is off the beaten [Music] path and the town lives from tourism over the centuries Ronda was an attractive location for merchant families the pisia mandron houses a museum today and shows how the rich and Powerful lived in previous centuries shaded green oases and splashing fountains had been Essentials in every Palace since Islamic times the inner Courtyard arcades were equally essential they were built using Kiln fired bricks and decorated with [Music] azuos the geographical situation of the Town sets natural limits on the amount of space available for Gardens but necessity is the mother of invention high above the elaro Gorge in the garden of the paliso rorro the king of the Moors Palace is perched the name is a pure fiction because this Garden never had a palace or a king a duchess from Malaga established this Garden in the early 20th century she commissioned the famous French landscape architect Nicola forestier he was an enthusiastic admirer of the Arab Andalusian garden art Heritage in the best is Islamic tradition a water axis cuts the garden into two equal halves the high trees have grown and are no longer in keeping with the original garden design but the view still is spectacular andery and Craftsman provided the tiled benches their colors are set off a good effect by this very green garden a Roman Arch serves as an eye-catcher at the far end of the garden and Frames the landscape views 100 years ago Forester help to reestablish awareness for Islamic Gardens the finest of which are found in Granada Granada is a modern and young City with generously dimensioned squares and streets the business life is focused in the area around the cathedral Granada had Muslim rulers for almost 800 years and they have left their mark on the city through until today on the banks of the river daro we find a house dating from The 14th Century it is located directly below the alhamra and was built at the same time the architect and passionate collector Carlos Sanchez recognized and discovered the Hidden Treasures of this house the moment I entered I said to myself Carlos this is an Arabic house and it is complete I made a drawing so I could be quite sure about this feeling I told myself buy this house it is something altogether unique I dedicated five years of my life to what has been an impassioned Master work for me that has also had a strong influence on my career the longer he thought about the house the more his ambition was stirred I am a passionate researcher and I love to investigate this is why I began to collect old chronography of Grenada because I felt I would discover something in these old records about the house this is an early cotype of the alhamra by Pablo mores a very early work dating from 1825 Carlos Sanchez is now a leading collector of early photographs of Andalucia his home is the Arab house on the D in Albert the oldest city quarter in Granada the Albert yine owes its appearance to the Arabs who first settled in the narrow streets on this hill hermetic walls stretch along the Route and still provide clear evidence of how private and public life were once separated hundreds of gardens are hidden behind these blank walls the so-called Carmen Gardens are a traditional feature of Granada protected by a wall dating from the 12th century the kmen de loses is laid out on Terraces the name k is derived from the Arabic word K which means Vine and the vine is as essential in a Caron Garden as the useful fruit trees the kitchen Garden is on the lowest of The Terraces with pomegranates medlers figs and quinces All The kman Gardens of Granada are in the Alber quarter and for this reason they all have one thing in common a view of the alhamra the house dates from the 12th century and is owned by Francisco fabrigas and his wife he bought the house that had previously been in family ownership since the 18th century since his retirement as a Spanish Diplomat he spends much of his time here what does his dees mean to him the most wonderful place where you can live dream dream and live it is a way of life it is far more than a garden it is a place of entertainment but above all of dreams during the 1920s Frederico Garcia laa and Manuel def met in this Garden under this pergola they read books and poems who would be surprised to hear how writers and composers were INSP spired by the beauty of this place the inner Courtyard of the atrium house contains a beautiful floor Mosaic made entirely from round Pebbles it is centuries old and is made to a pattern originally found in Arab palaces only very few masters of this art are at work [Applause] today we set off to meet jinto Perez who restored the Mosaic we would like to watch him at work before jinto Perez traces the outline of his flowers and ornaments in the cement sand he first discusses the design with the clients do they want abstract and geometric patterns or would they rather have something more playful his services are in demand from modern houses as well as in traditional ones he offers designs once used in Antiquity and modern ones too he also restores mosaics he has acquired a large repertoire of designs in decades of work he is not only one of the few people to have mastered this traditional craft but he also has a reputation for excellence the black Pebbles are from Granada the pale ones for Mal Maria routine has made him a fast worker he has only been at work on this site for 2 days jinto perz infuses about Commissions in Nazareth in Israel but also at a place we have already encountered K de is one of those other places it was here that I fell in love with this craft this was the work my father did and it was handed down from our forefathers I ignored my studies a little and dedicated myself to this profession instead I have good memories of this Commission some decades have passed since then and much has changed in the past his father managed a large company with numerous employees but today only very few people are interested in taking up this profession a small partnership in which he and his brother do everything is all that is left of the company what is his view of the profession would he rather change to do something else I would not be able to find other work but this is a job that fills me with passion each work has its own history and every commission is a new challenge and the fact is I am grateful good Crafts People never simply appear out of thin air they need examples and these can be found at the alhamra for centuries the best have always worked here not least in the [Music] gardens it is frequently only romantic Impressions that give a hint of the former magnificence here kitchen Gardens still are largely found along the route from the alhamra to the Hena Summer Palace the situation is somewhat higher and a reliably constant Cool Wind assured Pleasant climactic conditions in the private retreat of the Amir and his family and once again how could it be otherwise water takes Center Stage there is no doubt of about it the two fountains on both sides of the courtyard have been bubbling since the Middle Ages but historians dispute the origin of the fountains in the pools some of them suspect these first arrived in the 19th century the delicate architecture and the garden itself together form a single unit the combined effect was of a luxurious and at the same time intimate living space in the middle of heat and dust even though the alhamra is a gigantic and well organized tourism business the gardens retain the feel of a quiet Park we should never forget that we are in one of the most famous historic Gardens in [Music] Europe keeping such a Heritage alive demands intelligent planning hard work and above all loving commitment The Gardener Christa Romera provides these [Music] virtues each year when you start working you are already being creative first in selecting the seeds for the coming season we change plants twice a year once from Winter to Spring and once from Summer to Autumn twice a year Everything Changes completely you watch the plants Sprout see how they grow and finally die you connect all of this with your own life and the process is fascinating one of the most interesting moments in the garden is not when all the plants are magnificently In Bloom but when they lose what you might call their official Beauty which everyone loves and recognizes this is followed by another phase of beauty we are not trained to recognize or see it and this is a fascinating thing that opens to you in the course of the work the place has a powerful atmosphere this is one of the reasons why I have worked here for so long and I think perhaps it may even be possible to become a part of this aura is it possible to understand the spirit of place and to communicate with it it is not Material it is something you discover with your emotions and this is where you feel it where you encounter the spirit of the place can a garden gather this special Spirit to itself through the centuries or is it the reason why this location was chosen for the garden in the first place whatever the case the atmosphere of the alhamra gardens still moves people today and is an indication of how they experience a relationship to the Islamic culture that is still alive in Andalusia it is a shared Heritage its forms and colors Slumber as a memory in all of us and when we see it we recognize it as a part of ourselves [Music] [Music]

Channel: Luxury Living

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Keywords: culture in spain, visit spain, gardens of spain, dating culture in spain, food culture in spain, culture shock in spain, visit spain in 10 days, gardening tips, gardening spanish, visit spain vlog, monty don gardens of spain, nights in the gardens of spain, gardening tips and tricks, gardening tips for beginners, visit spain tourism, gardening tips for vegetables, gardening tips for flowers, gardening tips for indoor plants, gardening spain, spanish gardening

Id: aChalKzbHQk

Length: 50min 56sec (3056 seconds)

Published: Mon May 13 2024