Abstract - Abandoned villages in the area of Granada. The forgotten heritage of Tablate.

Rural depopulation is becoming a problem day by day. There are a lot of reasons, which are leading to massive exodus from the countryside to the city, but all of them are strictly connected to the change that we’re carrying on from the economic and social points of view. Depopulation is first of all a social issue, which is manifested by the abandonment of architectures, only one silent witnesses to the history of these places. Firstly, this study wants to develop a research, based on statistical data about Spanish and Andalusian situation, about the depopulation process of small villages; secondly wish focus on mapping all of these entity dwells getting abandoned or yet abandoned in Granada’s territory. Among these, an analysis is performed about Tablate, developing a survey of all the village and of the most important building, a tower, as a witness of the cultural heritage, too often forgotten, in these places. The main aim of this study is the heritage valorization of Tablate, whose history, and so whose architectural importance, it’s completely unknown or fades into the background compared to others villages in the same area. To reach this goal, others secondary goals are set up, such as: - a study on Spanish and Andalusian depopulation, to compare it with the actual situation in Tablate; - a study about the reality of Tablate developed with an architectural aerial survey of all of the village; - a study about architectural structures, remained in Tablate and considered the most emblematic ones, developing an architectural survey and, in the case of the Nazari tower, a decay analysis of the current state and a restauration proposal. This work follows this methodology: -research about statistical data, field research with the visit of some of the villages analyzed and with the collection of some interviews and photos, archival research based on books newspapers and historical cartography; -analysis of the data provided, cataloguing and mapping of the villages in Granada yet abandoned or with less than 50 habitants; -aerial and terrestrial survey of Tablate; -decay analysis and subsequent restauration proposal of the mediaeval tower in Tablate. As mentioned before, depopulation issue in Spain is growing more and more, for this reason it’s necessary uploading the studies focus on this theme with different perspectives: on one side from a social point of view with a demographic analysis, being in touch with the population where it’s possible, and with the aim to protect the intangible heritage made by skills and knowings, that if it’s not preserved, it will be loose and it will become a ruin as many buildings; on the other side, from an architectural point of view, with the survey, the conservation and the restauration of the tangible heritage, as a key to understand this realities and promote a reactivation of small villages. Concluding, this study wants to encourage the requalification of abandoned villages, believing that the care and the reconstruction for the cultural heritage valorisation in a durable and sustainable form requires the restoration of historical buildings and, in the social field, an active population, aware of the heritage it has.