Casa del Rey Moro
The Casa del Rey Moro palace was built in Ronda in the 14th century and has been registered as a cultural asset in Spain since 1943. It is a heavily structured building with hanging gardens, two towers and an extensive fountain.
history
Popular traditions attribute the construction of this secret military structure to the Muslim King Abomelic , at the time when Ronda occupied a strategic place in the battle of the later Muslim kingdom of Granada against Castile . In the minds of the people there were various legends and the idea that there were secret palaces and queen baths within the fountain. Historical texts tell of the fountain since the conquest of Ronda by the Catholic Kings in 1485, under the leadership of the Marquis of Cádiz. He took the well from the river and shortly afterwards the thirsty population of the city had to give up.
A wide spiral staircase carved into the rock with an imposing vault and lighting system leads through the fountain, which extends over a height difference of 60 meters. In the Sala del Manantial (well chamber) - a chamber that is characterized by its well-thought-out lighting system - there was now a concealed water point, from which water was drawn using a water wheel. A human chain of slaves had to go up and down with “zaques” (leather vessels) to supply the city with water. In the Sala de Armas (armory) weapons were stored and water and oil were heated in kettles in order to defend the lower entrance gate from the window above. The Sala de los Secretos (Chamber of Secrets), with a special feature in terms of acoustics (the sound automatically travels from one corner to the opposite), was originally another fountain for the military's water supply. Further down - built from the river - there is a mighty tower that served to defend the water supply and as a "poterna" (secret exit) to escape from the city. Above this tower is the Terraza de la Reconquista (Terrace of Reconquest). From here the river was monitored and the siege defended.
The entire fountain system is characterized by its perfectly preserved architecture and construction, which makes this weir system unique in all of Spain.
Gardens
The gardens surrounding the Casa del Rey Moro were designed by the famous French landscape architect Jean Claude Nicolas Forestier and built in 1912 on behalf of the Duchess of Parcent, the owner of the house at the time. To this day, the original concept of these hanging gardens on the edge of the Guadalevín river gorge has been preserved with all its details.
In the design of the garden, Hispanic-Muslim origins are mixed with the principles of arrangement of Western European horticulture. Ceramic art, covered colonnades, lovingly planted flower beds, stairs and floor slabs made of fired clay together with the successful combination of different botanical species such as palm trees, laurel and cedar trees, oleander and myrtle bushes bring the myth of the secret garden, the "hortus conclusus", to life again . The carefully selected plants, their scent and their colors make this garden a true jewel of European horticulture, especially during flowering.
Forestier integrates the breathtaking landscape of Ronda into the garden design, so that the viewer can enjoy the varied views of the river and the surrounding mountains.
Web links
- Official Website (Spanish)
Coordinates: 36 ° 44 '24.9 " N , 5 ° 9' 55.1" W.