Alhambra—A Moorish Paradise: Explore a Magical and Ethereal World

2025 Winter Lecture

Alhambra—A Moorish Paradise: Explore a Magical and Ethereal World

Our 2025 Winter Lecture features Untermyer Gardens Conservancy President, Stephen F. Byrns, who will delve into the exquisite architecture and ethereal gardens of the Alhambra.

The Alhambra in Spain is the most significant preserved Moorish palace in Europe—older than the surviving paradise gardens of Iran, India, and Pakistan, dating to the 14th century. Built on a fortified hill overlooking Granada, which was then an Islamic kingdom, its architecture is richly ornamented like a faceted jewel, while water flows throughout its intricately linked courtyard gardens. The nearby Generalife was the sultans’ summer palace with extensive gardens which seem a world away from the towering Alhambra.

The lecture will take place at the Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, 921 Madison Avenue, NYC, with a reception following the lecture.

A recording of the lecture will be available starting February 6, tickets sold separately.

Host or Publisher Untermyer Gardens Conservancy