Another indulgence is to rest in the shade in the Alhambra's gardens, enjoying a sense of quiet refinement alongside the perfectly proportioned pools of water.

BBC: The perfect trip: Andaluc��a

Here, an abundance of free-flowing freshwater springs support hundreds of thousands of olive and fruit trees and date palms, which also shade and cool the valley's mudbrick villages as they rest concealed in the greenery.

BBC: Siwa: An Egyptian oasis