P ojec Galle y
ALHAMAT: analysing ma e iali y o he Alhamb a o
elucida e he Nas id dynas y’s powe in he Emi a e o
G anada
Ca olina Ca dell1, Guille mo Ga cía-Con e as2,
*
, Te esa Ko fle 2,
Juan Manuel Ríos-Jiménez2, Albe o Ga cía-Po as2,
Ja ie Alejand e-Sánchez3, Domingo Sánchez-Mesa4,
Ma io De La To e-Espinosa4, Luca Ma ei2, Da id Rod íguez-Sánchez5,
Emilio Cano-Padilla5, Nicolás Losilla2, Es he Ca dell6, José Miguel Nie o7&
Fe nando Ma ínez-A ila8
1
Depa men o Mine alogy and Pe ology, G anada Uni e si y, Spain
2
Depa men o Medie al His o y and His o iog aphic Sciences and Techniques, G anada Uni e si y, Spain
3
Depa men o A chi ec u al Cons uc ions II, Se ille Uni e si y, Spain
4
Depa men o Gene al Linguis ics and Li e a y Theo y, G anada Uni e si y, Spain
5
F eelance A chaeologis , G anada, Spain
6
F eelance Scien ific Illus a o , membe o Alhama P ojec , G anada, Spain
7
Depa men o Ea h Science, Huel a Uni e si y, Spain
8
Depa men o A chaeology, Alhamb a and Gene ali e Council, G anada, Spain
* Au ho o co espondence ✉ga ciacon e [email p o ec ed]
The Nas id emi a e o sou he n Ibe ia emana ed powe h ough a chi ec u e; his p ojec aims o be e unde -
s and how his was made possible, ia an in e disciplina y explo a ion o he Alhamb a monumen and o he
Al-Andalus cons uc ions. Ini ial esul s o a chaeological campaigns, s uc u e ch onologies and communica-
ion plans unde aken in 2021 and 2022 a e p esen ed.
Keywo ds: Sou h-wes Eu ope, Spain, Middle Ages, Al-Andalus a chi ec u e, a chi ec u al a chaeology, adio-
ca bon da ing
Backg ound
The Alhamb a (G anada, Spain) was a o ified medie al Islamic pala ine own, and oday i is
a UNESCO Wo ld He i age Si e (Figu e 1). I is a unique monumen al complex, om an
a is ic and cul u al iewpoin , ha ep esen s he g andes and fines ex an example o Mid-
dle Ages Islamic a and a chi ec u e in he Wes e n wo ld. I s o ma ion e ol ed om he
cons uc ion o de ensi e s uc u es in he ele en h cen u y AD o he aising o palaces
Recei ed: 27 Feb ua y 2023; Re ised: 13 June 2024; Accep ed: 9 Augus 2024
© The Au ho (s), 2025. Published by Camb idge Uni e si y P ess on behal o An iqui y Publica ions L d. This is an
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licence (h ps://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which pe mi s non-comme cial e-use, dis ibu ion, and
ep oduc ion in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is unal e ed and is p ope ly ci ed. The w i en pe mission o
Camb idge Uni e si y P ess mus be ob ained o comme cial e-use o in o de o c ea e a de i a i e wo k.
An iqui y 2025 page 1 o 8
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du ing he Nas id dynas y, he las Islamic ule s in he sou h o Ibe ia go e ning he Emi -
a e o G anada (AD 1238–1492). Since he Ch is ian conques o he Nas id emi a e by
he C own o Cas ile (1492), he Alhamb a has endu ed es uc u ings, new cons uc ions,
uina ion, es o a ion and global ou ism, all o which ha e modified i s o iginal cha ac e
(Diez Jo ge e al.2018). P obably due o his complex e olu ion, he Alhamb a has
been s udied in a agmen ed way; ha is, esea ch add esses singula aspec s o buildings,
ei e a es ques ions o u banism o analyses deco a i e ea u es wi hou conside ing i s
wide e i o ial con ex .
The Alhamb a was independen om he ci y o G anada, buil on a e i o y o ganised by
pe iods, hough spa ially well-planned o iginally (Malpica-Cuello 2002). The own was
di ided in o he de ensi e sec o o Alcazaba, he pala ine a ea, he own i sel , pe i-u ban
ga dens and o cha ds (almunia), and he Gene ali e (Figu e 2). Ag icul u al g ow h o he
Alhamb a, and he wide Nas id emi a e, equi ed an economic ans o ma ion wi h concu -
en social and poli ical changes. These ac ions led o he use o di e se cons uc ion echni-
ques and ma e ials. Since he Alhamb a was he sea o go e nance and ac ed as he cen e o
poli ical, ideological, symbolic and ma e ial powe , ce ain cons uc ion p og ammes also
influenced he p incipal palaces, owe s, walls and o esses o he Nas id eli e beyond he
Alhamb a. To da e, howe e , esea ch in o he Alhamb a’s e i o ial and empo al dimen-
sion, and i s ela ionship wi h o he Nas id cons uc ions om a holis ic pe spec i e, is lack-
ing. Simila ly, he exp ession o he social, economic and poli ical dynamics o Nas id powe
h ough he a chi ec u e and u ban e olu ion o he Alhamb a has been li le in es iga ed,
despi e he exis ence o a subs an ial body o li e a u e ocusing on he Alhamb a ( o
mo e de ails see h ps://www.alhamb a-pa ona o.es/).
The ALHAMAT p ojec (ALHamb a MATe ial: he angible Alhamb a as he sea o Nas id
powe ) a emp s o cla i y hese issues h ough collabo a ion be ween he humani ies and he
social, na u al and applied sciences, as well as he adminis a i e and he i age au ho i ies espon-
sible o he monumen i sel . The main goals a e: 1) o desc ibe, da e and ca alogue he a chi-
ec u al p og ammes p esen in he Alhamb a and o he Nas id s uc u es, classi ying ma e ials,
cons uc ion echniques and ab ics acco ding o ch onology; 2) o iden i y he adia ing e ec
o hese p og ammes on Nas id a chi ec u e in G anada and on he bo de s o he Nas id emi -
a e; and 3) o es ablish he bases ha enabled he de elopmen o such cons uc ion plans. Add-
i ionally, ALHAMAT ocuses on knowledge dissemina ion ia new communica ion s a egies
o each a b oad audience. The p ima y ma e ial o ou analysis is ammed ea h walls, known
as mu os de apial in a chi ec u al his o iog aphy. This is he mos widesp ead cons uc ion sys-
em h oughou Al-Andalus, including du ing he Nas id pe iod, and i s use ex ended om
u ban and u al domes ic con ex s o palaces, walls and o esses.
Figu e 1. The Alhamb a and Gene ali e monumen (pho og aph by C. Ca dell).
Ca olina Ca dell e al.
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Figu e 2. Map o he Alhamb a showing i s di ision zones (map om Alhamb a and Gene ali e Council, amended by T. Ko fle ).
ALHAMAT
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Me hods
The p ojec combines his o ical-a chaeological, scien ific- echnical and a chi ec u al s udies
o comp ehensi ely in es iga e he ma e iali y o he Alhamb a. These analyses include
explo a ion o a chi ec u al a chaeology, A abic and Cas ilian w i en documen s, unde lying
geology, cons uc ion ma e ials and he s a ig aphic ela ionships o cons uc ed elemen s
(compa ing dimensions, plans and ele a ions be ween di e en sec o s o he Alhamb a
and wi h o he cons uc ions in he su ounding a ea), as well as conside a ion o he inse -
ion o he a chi ec u e in he landscape and adioca bon da ing o o ganic ma e ial in he
walls (Na ional Cen e o Accele a o s, Se ille). This is achie ed in syne gy wi h expe s
om di e se disciplines and in collabo a ion wi h he Andalusian Minis y o Cul u e.
Resul s a e compa ed wi h 10 Nas id-bo de o esses s udied in his p ojec and one
Al-Andalus palace in G anada ci y (Figu e 3).
P elimina y esul s
The Alhamb a is cha ac e ised by i s a chi ec u al complexi y wi h nume ous cons uc ion
phases (Figu e 4). Ou p ojec cen es on he Al-Andalus s uc u es (ele en h–fi een h cen-
u ies) whose ab ics we e buil mainly wi h he apial sys em bu also included lacing-cou ses
o s one mason y and b icks. The apial is a ammed-ea h cons uc ion ha comp esses soil
mixed wi h agg ega es, lime and wa e in o a o mwo k o o m a consis en ma e ial
(Figu e 5). S udies o he a chaeology o he a chi ec u e in he Alhamb a ocused ini ially
Figu e 3. Nas id-bo de o esses in es iga ed in he p ojec (map by J.A. Rojas-Cáce es).
Ca olina Ca dell e al.
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on he Alcazaba, assessing a chaeological s a ig aphy, a chi ec u al and s uc u al ypologies,
cons uc ion ma e ials, cons uc i e imp in s and finish, and me ics, and implemen ing
pho og amme y (3D images, o hopho og aphies and a chaeological planime y) and adio-
ca bon da ing (n = 6) (Figu e 6).
Fo he fi s ime, his a chaeological esea ch app oach is being sys ema ically applied o he
whole o he Alhamb a and no only o isola ed s uc u es o pa o he pala ine own (mos
ecen ly B azille e al.2023). So a , ou elemen s o analysis (s a ig aphic uni , s uc u e, con-
s uc i e elemen s and samples) ha e p o ed use ul in elabo a ing a ch ono- ypological ca a-
logue o he cons uc ion echniques and ma e ials iden ified, which is compa ed wi h he
Albe cón del Mo o de Ca uja palace in G anada ci y, and selec ed Nas id-bo de o esses.
T adi ionally, he Alcazaba a ea has been a ibu ed o he Zi í pe iod (ele en h cen u y
AD) (Vílchez-Vílchez 2018). Recen a chaeological s udies, howe e , p opose i s asc ip ion
o he Almohad pe iod ( wel h– hi een h cen u ies) (Ga cía-G anados 2014). Ou
Figu e 4. Examples o o e lapped cons uc ion phases in he Alhamb a: A–E) Alcazaba; F) Nas id palaces (pho og aphs
by T. Ko fle ).
ALHAMAT
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Figu e 5. In og aphic (in Spanish as exhibi ed in he Alhamb a) showing he apial sys em o build he Andalusí walls and owe s in he Alhamb a (scien ific illus a ion by
E. Ca dell).
Ca olina Ca dell e al.
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Figu e 6. Pho og amme y and s a ig aphic analysis o walls in he Alhamb a and he Albe cón del Mo o de Ca uja in
G anada (figu e by T. Ko fle ).
ALHAMAT
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p elimina y unpublished adioca bon esul s (n = 19) suppo an Almohad da e and in i e a
e hink o he his o y o his a ea. Da ing o he bo de o esses also opens an a chaeological
deba e. The o esses had been assigned o he Nas id pe iod ollowing an assump ion ha
hei ab ics we e ein o ced as pa o a cons uc ion p og amme emana ing om he Nas id
powe cen e in he mid- ou een h cen u y (To es-Balbás 1949). Al hough absolu e da ing is
a ailable o only ou o 10 o esses, esul s confi m his p emise in he o esses o Moclín
and Mon e ío bu asc ibe hose o To e Pesque a and Teba o he Almohad pe iod (Figu e 3).
In o ma ion on cons uc ion p og ammes in he Alhamb a and i s e i o y in A abic
sou ces a e a e. Re e ences ocus on he Alhamb a’s g andiosi y, weal h o e i o y and
wa e abundance. Thus, we a e in es iga ing he philology o e ms o cons uc ion ools
and echniques in Al-Andalus and ansla ing hem in o A abic and English o es ablish a
ocabula y o cons uc ion equipmen . This o ms pa o ou inno a i e ansmedia s o y-
elling dissemina ion s a egy in ended o each a b oad and in e na ional audience ( ou is s,
expe s, p o essionals and s uden s), consis ing o di usion h ough he social ne wo k Ins a-
g am, p oduc ion o a sho film o ALHAMAT esea che in e iews, and in og aphics
(Figu e 5).
Acknowledgemen s
We hank he Alhamb a and Gene ali e Council.
Funding s a emen
Resea ch was unded by he Andalusian Resea ch P ojec s P18-FR-4173 and P18-FR-2046,
and he Excellence Uni o he G anada Uni e si y Science in he Alhamb a
(UCE-PP2018-01). Funding o Open Access cha ge: Uni e sidad de G anada/CBUA.
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