Blue pool

The Partal Palace (Palacio del Partal) dates from the reign of Sultan Muḥammad III (1302-1309). It is the oldest palace in the Alhambra, yet it is the one that was most recently added to the Alhambra Monument Complex, namely, in the 1930s. It was built on the land that slopes from the public bath of the medina down to the north side of the ramparts on the left bank of the Darro River. Because of its inclination, the terrain had to be terraced, creating staggered paratas (narrow terraces). Its architecture revolves around the water that flows quietly through its irrigation canals and is deposited in pools of different sizes, creating a space of enormous beauty and uniqueness.

Alberca azul is a landscape inspired by one of these pools: the Alberca del Marqués de Mondéjar del Partal, where the local inhabitants used to live and cultivate orchards and vegetable gardens. The vegetable gardens were irrigated throughout the summer, using an irrigation system that included Nasrid irrigation channels and pipes, although over time these became clogged. In short, it is an irrigation pool used to maintain the vegetable gardens, which receives water from various sources and reflects the moonlight in a melancholy manner.

THE WRITING OF WATER

The indigo pool of the Alhambra sings
evoking sweet memories
and longed-for days of flowering orchards.
The breeze rocks it.

The colors come alive
and the word lights up
Navigating between stories.
The stories awaken,
swimming.

Their serene dance
of sweet melancholy
caresses waters, lends whispers.

A universe of shadows
lulls the soul to sleep in dreams
while the moon kisses,
in twilight, the dawn.

J.M. Darro

The water has written its whispers on the pool’s surface, telling stories and tales. The indigo pool lends its color to the water, the reflections of the moonlight kiss it and the night hides it, keeping it in a quiet twilight, from which it will emerge with the light of day to give life. Now the color of the water is indigo; tomorrow it will be Alhambra.