The cultural landscape of the Alhambra: Values and risks of the interaction between Man and Heritage

Abstract

The Alhambra is an outstanding example of a palatine city located in a hill with a dominant situation and control over the territory. Its coexistence with the city of Granada, based both in their interlinking and isolation, conditions their relationship so intentionally that the reading of the links between each other allows the identification of their landscape keys and the principles of their territorial status.
The historical and contemporary reality of the Monument has shown the need to move forward in the systematic identification of its tangible and intangible heritage values and to enhance a civic and institutional sensitivity to the attributes and qualities that make it a Cultural Landscape. Similarly, it is necessary to reflect on the risks affecting this Cultural Landscape and to define strategies for its preservation.
The Master Plan of the Alhambra sets up a comprehensive, sustainable, and socially owned management model, which seeks to mitigate natural negative impacts on the Monument and to adequately confront the relationship between Man and Heritage. This is based on innovative and advanced concepts that take into account the close dependence between the Monument, the city of Granada and the surrounding natural spaces.