Digital survey and interpretation of a fortification fragment: The Cadi bridge at the feet of the Alhambra hill, Granada, Spain

Abstract

Granada is well known all over the world for the beauty of its Muslim downtown called Albayzín and of the Alhambra. The specific combination of European and Islamic Architecture makes it an awesome place testifying a nodal moment in the European story. In the town a lot of these elements are clearly readable, but there are also some interesting traces still in need to be investigated. In this paper we will present the research on the so-called 'Cadí Bridge'. It is a Moorish arch portion from the XI Century. The research has been established on the analysis and investigation of the actual state of this ruin, basing the whole approach on digital tools, passing across a complete reconstructive hypothesis based on the geometric analysis of the remains and on a set of architectural references and completing a digital 3D reconstruction of a possible original asset of this part of the town. Starting from the actual 'not so clear' condition of this urban element, a better understanding of the ancient Granada will be enriched with the digital tools involved in this research. © 2013 IEEE.