The recent excavations carried out in the Convent of Santa Clara la Real revealed the existence of two gardens from different periods. One was built during the reign of Ibn-Mardanish (1147–1172) and was cross-shaped, with two wide paths with acequias and a pavilion in the middle.
The second was probably built by Ibn-Hud al-Mutawakkil (1228–1238) on the ruins of the former and later transformed, probably in 1365 when the palace was converted in convent. It follows the same layout as the Nasrid palaces, with two opposing arcades on the shorter sides of a rectangular courtyard with a large pool separating four flowerbeds.
Pedro I of Castile (1350–1369) gave the palace to Franciscan nuns for them to found a convent.
Source: Archaeological Analysis, 20th century
-Antonio Almagro, Luis Ramón-Laca
Resources:
Un palacio protonazarí en la Murcia del siglo XIII: Al-Qasr al-Sagir (Open in Zotero)
Arqueología y arquitectura islámicas en el Monasterio de Santa Clara La Real (Murcia) (Open in Zotero)
La Dar as-Sugrà de Murcia: Un palacio andalusí del siglo XII (Open in Zotero)
Originally published: Almagro, Antonio, and Luis Ramón-Laca. “Alcázar Ceguir, Convent of Santa Clara la Real, Murcia” Middle East Garden Traditions. Dumbarton Oaks, November 18, 2014. https://www.doaks.org/resources/middle-east-garden-traditions/catalogue#b_start=0&c6=Andalusian++Gardens. Archived at: https://perma.cc/J8KF-DV5P
