Researchers discover 12th century Muslim palace garden in Spain

Researchers from the Escuela de Estudios Árabes del CSIC have begun excavating a 12th-century Andalusian palace garden at the Los Castillicos site in Alhama de Murcia, Spain.

The project, named Arqmunia, aims to study the architectural transmission of prestige structures from antiquity to the Renaissance. The site is located in a forested area of the Sierra de Carrascoy regional park, about 17 kilometers from the city of Murcia.

The garden features a cruciform layout, a design with long traditions in the Islamic world. This specific style appeared in places like Samarra in Iraq, Sicily, and the Alhambra in Granada. The structure consists of a central vegetal column flanked by two pedestrian terraces that step down the mountain slope. Perpendicular structures also cross the garden to house additional plantings.

While the garden is monumental, the identity of its original owner remains unknown because no known Arabic sources mention the estate. Researchers believe the property was once a large estate bounded by the Guadalentín River and the mountain ridge. The team plans to use intensive archaeology and archival research to reconstruct the ancient landscape, including irrigation systems and the location of the owner's pavilion.

They hope to find clues in 13th-century Christian records after the conquest of Murcia to identify the original inhabitants.