THE ALEPPO PINE

The Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis Mill.) is a tree native to the Mediterranean region. The Arabs of al-Andalus knew it by the broader generic name of ?anawbar, which was commonly used to refer to the Pinus pinea L., the species of pine trees with greater interest for agriculture as a source of food (pine nuts). The Aleppo pine is highly resistant to drought and adapts well to the harsh conditions of southern Mediterranean hillsides, which is why it was used extensively in reforesting all across southern Spain and Portugal. The hill above the Generalife was planted with these pines in the 1930s, a process that was extended and completed to the rest of the public land of that area in 1950. The cultivation of this species in the gardens of the monument dates from that period. A magnificent example of this species can be admired in the Secano gardens, as you enter the Alhambra from the Generalife.