The Regional Government delegate and the Director of the Patronato de la Alhambra visit the Paseo de los Nogales in the Generalife, today opened to the public

The Andalusian Regional Government delegate in Granada, Jesus Huertas, and the Director of the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, María del Mar Villafranca, have visited this morning, together with hundreds of tourists, the Paseo de los Nogales in the Generalife, which today has been opened to the public after the works of remodeling and conditioning of this site that began in January, 2008.
The Project of Remodeling of the Paseo de los Nogales in the Generalife has been created by order of the Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife in 2007, in order to restructure the site and to remodel the existing infrastructures from the principal access to the Complex of the Alhambra and the Generalife up to the final rotunda of the Paseo (pathway), connected by an Adarve (islamic pathway) to the slope called Cuesta de los Chinos.
The intervention´s fundamental criteria have been the following ones:
– To replace in the central pathway the paving made of (damaged) existing concrete by another paving made of the same colored material and design, as well as revision of the existing sidewalks with soft paving in the initial stretch from the ticket offices’ access.
– Remodeling the entire infrastructure in the area and connection with the existing infrastructure.
– Conditioning the surroundings of the cistern placed near to the crossing with the Bridge of the Generalife and protection of the canal.
– Remodeling the material and plumbing of the toilets, adapting them for use by disabled person.
– Protection by rails of the Paseo´s area near to the public toilets, including cleaning the end of the mentioned wall, as well as archaeological monitoring of the intervention.
– Conditioning the area for buffet in the final rotunda of the Paseo.
The work has been carried out by the company Construcciones Otero S.L. from January, 2008 until June, 2009, with an intervention budget of 891.201 €.
The execution of the Project of Remodeling has been realized in two phases to make compatible the work with the tourists’ tours in the Monumental Complex depending on the seasons.
In the archaeological monitoring realized during the works of ground movement for the plumbing trenches, there were detected archaeological remains that made necessary to slightly modify the initial Project. Among other aspects, the location of the channel for the Acequia Real (Royal Canal) of the Alhambra could be identified (branch that was supplying the entire Palace Complex with water) and the different channels that this branch has had along its history.
As a result of such important archaeological discovery, works were carried out for making the Nasrid Canal visible for the public, making compatible the exhibition of the archaeological remains with the maintenance of the cypresses and the visitors’ tours along the Paseo de los Nogales.
The budget of this intervention and of the complementary archaeological works to the Project of Remodeling of the Paseo de los Nogales amounts to 47.553 €. In addition, the Department of Gardens and Forests of the Patronato de la Alhambra has realized an important work of remodeling the gardens placed between the Theater of the Generalife and the Orchards, making the views of the whole enclosure and of the Albaizín quarter enjoyable from the Paseo de los Nogales.