The Gate of the Pomegranates opens to the public

Walking along the way from the Gate of Justice to the street Cuesta de Gomérez, Rosa Torres, the Andalusian Minister of Culture, María del Mar Villafranca, Director of the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, Alfonso Muñoz Cosme, Deputy Director of the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute, as well as other representatives from the Spanish Ministry of Culture have visited this morning the Gate of the Pomegranates, recently restored. After the restoration works, the access path by this monument will be pedestrian-only.
This was the recommendation by the report drawn up by specialists from the Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute, since the main cause of the stone deterioration of the Gate of the Pomegranates is “the road traffic of vehicles and public transport which have impaired the mechanical properties of the stone”. Therefore, transit through this area will be pedestrian-only, until authorised and zero emission buses can be procured.
The signing of the Certification Record last November by the General Comptroller of the State Administration (IGAE) determined the closing of the restoration works for the Gate of the Pomegranates by the Ministry of Culture.
The Intervention budget, defrayed by the Ministry of Culture, reached the amount of 658,565.55 €. The main objectives have been: the complete cleaning of the faces and the ornamental elements, such as the coat of arms, sculptures, mouldings, etc.; re-integration of decayed parts and lost ashlars; roof waterproofing, protection of the eaves with lead plates and consolidation of the structure, as well as its protection against biological organisms and climatic agents.
The restoration work, drawn up by Miguel Ángel Martín Céspedes (Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife) and Alberto Humanes Bustamante (Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute) has revealed the height level of the gate, and the original paving of the central arch has been located in an archaeological excavation. The paving has been restored and protected by the Autonomous Body. 
The Patronato de la Alhambra, with the collaboration of the University of Granada and the University of Brussels, has installed a monitoring space in an adjacent area in order to measure the CO2 impact to guarantee the preservation of the Gate of the Pomegranates.
The Gate of the Pomegranates is situated at the end of Cuesta de Gomérez and constitutes the main connexion between the urban centre of Granada and the Monumental Complex of the Alhambra.