Alhambra celebrates International Day for Monuments and Sites with free guided tours

To celebrate the International Day for Monuments and Sites (18 April), the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (PAG) has organised a series of activities based around with this year’s theme: the cultural heritage of water.
 
Accordingly, two free visits have been scheduled for 14 and 15 April. These tours, guided by cultural interpreters, focus on the theme “The conquest of water. Water in Hispanoislamic and Christian culture”. Places on these tours, limited due to capacity, can be reserved at the Alhambra Gift and Book Shop at calle Reyes Católicos, 40, in Granada.
On 16 and 17 April the recently restored Silla del Moro mirador will also be opened to visitors, from 9.00 am to 8.00 pm. For detailed information on this construction, part of the defensive system of 14th century Granada, the PAG has organised two tours, starting at noon each day and guided by archaeologist Alberto García Porras and architect Pedro Salmerón, respectively.
The Silla del Moro is a remnant of the mediaeval buildings associated with the Alhambra and Generalife, along with the Dar al-Arusa and Alijares Palaces. Located on the northern slope of Cerro del Sol, the Silla del Moro dominated the course of the Darro river, the Generalife gardens, the Alhambra, the town of Granada, the plain of Granada and the surrounding mountains. It was specifically located to watch over the Royal Water Channel which supplied the Alhambra and the Generalife.
The restoration work carried out recently on the Nuestra Señora de la Antigua altarpiece, made between 1588-1589 by Diego Navas “El Mozo” and currently located in the Puerta de la Justicia, is one of the focal points of the workshops organised by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (PAG) to commemorate the International Day for Monuments and Sites. Over 18, 19 and 23 April next, the altarpiece will remain on public view from 9.00 am to 8.00 pm. Of Vignolesque design, it stands on an altar table and consists of a predella, three panels in one tier and an attic crowning the piece. The paintings on the altarpiece and on the sides are attributed to the workshop of Pedro de Raxis, one of the first artists in Granada to work in Baroque naturalism and creator of a local artistic circle of great relevance throughout the period.
The International Day for Monuments and Sites was suggested by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18 April 1982 and approved by the UNESCO General Assembly in 1983. It is dedicated to raise public awareness concerning the diversity of the world’s heritage and the efforts that are required to protect and conserve it, as well as to draw attention to its vulnerability.