22	The Partal

You’re now behind the Comares Palace and the Palace of the Lions.
We’re going to look at an area where gardens from the early 20th century sit among architectural ruins from the Nasrid period. They’re known as the Partal, a word that may have its origin in the Latin portalis, or in a Nabatean word burtallah that has come into Arabic and means “a narrow shade”
The focal point of this space is a five-arched gateway, but the dominant theme is, once again, water. In the pool it acts as a mirror reflecting the face of the building and breaks the horizontal lines of the architecture.

Let’s go into the Partal gardens. You’ll see that this isn’t the typical layout of a Hispano-Moorish orchard garden, but reflects the ideal of a western one. These gardens are laid out in levels defined by boxwood hedges and connected by stairways. As you walk along, you’ll find pools, fountains, and the remains of buildings.

Go up the stairs, and you’ll come to a patio with a central pool which divides the route. As you face the Partal’s gateway portico, to the left is the Calle Real Baja, which leads back toward the Nasrid palaces, and, to the left, the Towers Walk, which will take you to the Alhambra’s largest and most famous garden, the Generalife.