Gardens of the Alcazar

In order to have a relatively complete view of the Gardens of the Alcázar, we need to go back to the times of Julius Caesar himself, who personally planted different species of flowers and exotic trees, such as the oriental plane. This tree is characterized by the great shade it provides, thus, the temperature in the gardens would be softer.

In Arabic times, the current gardens started to be built, located in the southern part of the space, occupying the western areas. The aim of its outline was to complete the space destined to the royal harem, in a place close to the baths. The final space was finished with an orchard. The works are thought to have started in times of Abderraman II, more specifically in the year 822. It is believed that they were carried at this time because it was back then when the aqueduct was erected, channeling the waters of the Bejarano and Caño de Escarabita. In fact, a branch was taken and channeled from the latter leading it to the Alcázar. With the water from this aqueduct, together with that extracted from the Albolafia, it was possible to cover all the needs of the Palace, including the gardens.

With the arrival of Abderraman III to power and his resulting change of residence to Medina Azahara, the gardens were abandoned, and this situation lasted for almost a century.

With the arrival of the Christian Monarchs, the Gardens of the Alcázar recover their initial splendour. The Christian Monarchs made the waterwheel of the Albolafia stop as it was very noisy, which was the reason why the Queen was very ill at that moment. This decision deteriorated the gardens, as a great amount of the water came from the river, since the water from the Bejarano was not enough, among other aspects, because the residents in the nearby streets Judíos and Pavas Street secretly took it. Isabel the Catholic had a special liking for these gardens: she liked to stroll through them and read.

Nowadays, the gardens are visited by tourists from all around the world, and they can be visited even at night thanks to the artificial lightning they have.

Going down a few bricked steps, we can see the stone fountain which receives, in the first place, the water coming from the mountains. After it, the water passes through a ditch until reaching the first of the pools. From here, the water falls in other basins and fountains until reaching the end of the gardens. All of this takes place while surrounded by a magnificent green and a mixture of colours which greatly lifts our senses. In fact, we must not forget that these gardens have always been an area of love.

One of the traditions which is becoming more popular in the city is for brides, just married, after finishing the ceremony, to come with the groom, best man and maid of honour to have photographs taken in the gardens. It is not unlikely to see even several couples posing at the same time among trees and pools.

If you are wondering what to visit in Córdoba, a good option would be the Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs and its beautiful gardens, choosing one of our guided tours. Choosing to do high quality sightseeing is choosing ArtenCórdoba.

Text: J.A.S.C.