This area of the gardens of the Alcázar of Seville, known in Spanish as the Huerta de la Alcoba, was organized and surrounded by walls by the Almohad caliphs in the twelfth century. Hieronymus Münzer (Viaje, 64), in the sixteenth century, recorded that this garden comprised between six and ten orchards of different sizes, which contained a great number of myrtles, citrons, lemon trees and orange trees. He was surprised to find a pavilion in one of the orange groves. He mentions the pavilion being rebuilt between 1543 and 1546 by Juan Fernandez, perhaps on the foundation of a Muslim qubba. This pavilion has a remarkable likeness to the one recently discovered in Rusafa, Syria, dating to the eighth century. Andrea Navagero (Viaje, 36) confirms Münzer's impression and records that there were a great many citron, lemon, lime, and orange trees in the Alcove Orchard.
Source: Travel Account, 16th century
-Antonio Almagro, Luis Ramón-Laca
Originally published at: Almagro, Antonio, and Luis Ramón-Laca. “Huerta de la Alcoba, Alcázar of Seville.” 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
