The restoration works of the Gate of the Pomegranates are over

The signing of the Certification Record by the General Comptroller of the State Administration (IGAE) has determined the closing of the restoration works for the Gate of the Pomegranates by the Ministry of Culture. On the agreement reached by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (PAG) and the Granada City Council Department for Mobility, Transport and Trade depends the opening of the gate to the traffic, which will be still restricted and conditional on public transport.
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 Angel Martín Céspedes (PAG) and Alberto Humanes Bustamante (Spanish Cultural Heritage Institute) has achieved several accomplishments: the height level of the gate has been revealed and the original paving of the central arch has been located in an archaeological excavation. The paving has been restored and its future protection is in charge of the autonomous body.
The PAG, with the support of the University of Granada and the University of Brussels, will install a monitoring space in an adjacent area in order to measure the CO2 impact and, thus it intends 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.