The Court of the Lions has been known for its architectural beauty which is universally admired. However, a closer look at the current gravel-surfaced Courtyard does not seem to harmonize with the pinnacle in architectural representation of its surrounding and the once “state of the art” technology of the fountain at the centre. According to The Official Guide - The Alhambra and Generalife published by the Petronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (1999, p. 115), "…It is not known for certain whether the four parts were paved or if they were gardens”. This uncertainty became the catalyst for this Grounded Theory landscape architectural research which employs concept mapping techniques. Computer concept and illumination models were then used to test a design concept through a series of simulations. Lastly, the possible landscapes were interpreted using photorealistic computer images and animations, re-enacting the original garden atmosphere in the year 1391 AD. The study describes the process to simulate the garden atmosphere of the Court of the Lions with the absence of primary sources of information. The approach can be used for other historic sites in similar site condition.

L’hispanité des musulmans d’Espagne est au centre d’un débat récurrent sur l’identité collective des Espagnols. En faisant de la présence politique des musulmans une parenthèse historique de huit siècles, le romancero les exclut non seulement de l’espace péninsulaire mais aussi de l’hispanité elle-même, il annonce ainsi l’expulsion définitive des Morisques de 1609. Un autre discours est pourtant développé durant le siècle qui suit 1492 ; les littératures hispano-arabe et aljamiada mais aussi parfois castillane en témoignent. Le roman hispano-mauresque français, un siècle plus tard, reprend le personnage du musulman d’Espagne qui devient le support d’une hispanité fantasmée qui se définit par les contacts avec le monde arabo-musulman via la Méditerranée. Le Maure de Grenade est alors un modèle littéraire qui fournit à l’Europe une représentation positive du monde arabo-musulman. Idéalisé, tolérant et généreux, le Moro n’est plus simplement un Espagnol, il est le support d’une réflexion sur la mixité religieuse et sur l’attachement collectif au lieu. / The Hispanic identity of Spanish Muslims is at the center of a recurring debate on the collective identity of Spaniards. By treating the political presence of the Muslims as a simple historical parenthesis which lasted for eight centuries, the Romancero excludes Spanish Muslims not only from the peninsula but also from Hispanic identity itself and heralds the final expulsion of the Moriscos in 1609. A different attitude was developed during the hundred years following 1492, as witnessed by the Hispano-Arabic and Aljamiada, but also sometimes the Castilian literature. The French Spanish-Moorish novel, a century later, redefines the character of the Spanish Muslim, which then becomes the basis for a fantasized Hispanic identity characterised by its contact with the Arab-Muslim world via the Mediterranean. The Moor of Granada becomes a literary model that provides Europe with a positive image of the Arab-Muslim world. Idealized, tolerant and generous, the Moro is no longer simply a Spaniard, but a pretext for reflecting on religious diversity and the link between a people and a place.