Monument, Museum & Heritage Dossier · 4 min read

Puerta de los Tableros: Zirid remains next to the Darro

Locate the Puerta de los Tableros in Granada and learn about the remains next to the Darro, its supply function and the confusion with the Puente del Cadí.

Arc starting Remains of a large horseshoe arch.

boarded up door It gave way to interior stairs to collect water.

The Puerta de los Tableros preserves remains of a defensive structure on the Darro River. The City Council identifies them as ziríes, and the Albaicín Agency relates them to the closure of the medina and its water supply. It is not a complete Nasrid gate nor a bridge that you can cross today.

To see it during a walk, use the municipal reference Carrera del Darro, 35 and observe the remains from the enabled public space. A part of an arch and abutment allow us to imagine a larger ensemble, always distinguishing what is preserved from what is reconstructed in drawings.

Where is it and what can you see?

The City Hall file describes these elements:

Element	What does the source document?	How to interpret it
preserved stirrup	Only one of the two stirrups remains.	It is a vestige of the complex, not a complete structure.
Arc starting	Remains of a large horseshoe arch.	The visible part does not allow crossing the river today.
boarded up door	It gave way to interior stairs to collect water.	It does not constitute open access to the visitor.

The same file explains that a fence allowed the passage of water and made it difficult for intruders. It links the military structure with the corachas of the Alcazabas of the Albaicín and the Alhambra.

Zirid history and confusion with the Cadí Bridge

According to the Albaicín Agency, the Puerta de los Tableros was the eastern limit of the medina during the Zirid taifa. With the growth of the Axares suburb it remained within the city. The fountain relates its function to the closure of the Darro through floodgates and the supply of water.

The Agency distinguishes these remains from the real Puente del Cadí: the latter was next to the church of Santa Ana, it was renamed Puente de Santa Ana and is not preserved. The traditional name “Puente del Cadí” applied to the Puerta de los Tableros has generated confusion.

It also includes different interpretations of the corachas as passages, supply devices or links between fortresses. Some parts of the complex have left no traces; That is why a restitution drawing helps to imagine it, but does not demonstrate all the details of its operation.

Water for the citadel and change with the Acequia Real

The Patronato de la Alhambra explains that water was carried from the Puerta de los Tableros to supply the citadel. The Acequia Real replaced that system when the Nasrid palatine city developed, whose needs were greater.

This relationship allows us to understand the importance of the place without automatically attributing to it the supply of all the neighborhoods or a distribution through urban irrigation ditches. The linked sources are not used here to claim a discharge of water on invaders or a scheduled cleanup of workshop waste.

A representation in front of the current remains

Drawing of the Puerta de los Tableros with an arch over the riverbed — Representation of the door; It is not a photograph of the current remains.

The drawing shows a gate over the riverbed. Compare it to the items documented in the table: not all of them still stand. The illustration is not a historical photograph or a representation dated to the 16th or 17th century.

How to incorporate it into the walk through the Darro

Start at Plaza Nueva and prepare the route with our guide to the Darro area. You can stop at the reference number 35 and continue depending on the time and mobility of your group.

Plan the observation from the enabled steps, without considering the boarded-up door as an entrance. To choose transportation and the last leg, consult the transport guide and the current service.

If you need to avoid slopes or steps, check the specific route before leaving. There is also no verification of a current guided tour or an access schedule to interior facilities.

Frequently asked questions

Can you cross the river through the Puerta de los Tableros?

It is not a bridge open to passage: an abutment and the start of the arch remain, according to the municipal file.

Why is it also called Puente del Cadí?

It is a traditional name applied to these remains. The Albaicín Agency distinguishes the real Puente del Cadí, which has disappeared, which was next to Santa Ana.