Albercones

Reservoir in Granada

Channel Los Albercones, Generalife, Granada, Spain — Public Domain / Pepepitos

Bano De Las Damas, Los Albercones, Generalife, Granada, Spain — Public Domain / Pepepitos

The Albercones or Pools of the Alhambra are the basis of the hydraulic system of the Generalife in the Alhambra Complex, in Granada, Spain.

The Generalife’s large orchards gardens, pools and fountains all needed to be supplied with water. The water system of the Alhambra is based on the Acequia Real which, transports water from the Darro River, is channeled to the upper part of the Generalife, and then supplies, via an irrigation canal that runs them runs parallel to the orchards and an aqueduct, tp the Alhambra complex.

The purpose of the Albercones was to bring the water to the high southernmost areas of the Generalife. There was an underground channel which ended in a well under a tower, called Las Damas. The tower was built to protect the well and to house the Ferris wheel that raised the water from the Acequia Real. Brick platforms surround the pool, as well as a staircase to access a terrace that must have had a gazebo or pavilion over the Pool.

With the modern recovery of the Alhambra and its heritage values, in 1926 a new Albercón was built next to the Nasrid to increase the water pressure throughout the circuit and already in the 1960s. With the development of tourism, it became necessary to build a third Albercón.

The Albercones appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Granada!

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