Buhayra

The Buhayra, a fortified Palatine royal residence with extensive gardens, is situated outside Sevilla's city walls, near the Gate of Yahwar (Puerta de la Carne), on the banks of the Tagarete River.

The architectural ensemble, the first Almohad building in Sevilla, was built on agricultural land where there were some ʿAbbādid buildings from the eleventh century. Although some of the buildings date from the Nasrid era, the construction work actually began in 1171. From 1194 to 1195, gardens were added to the royal residence, which from 1211 was the residence of al-Nāsir. It remained in Muslim hands up until 1248, when Sevilla was conquered by the Crown of Castile. Many archaeological excavations were conducted there in the twentieth century[1].

The residential pavilion is surrounded by arcades. The actual palace itself is composed of three galleries. The middle gallery is the only closed—and therefore the only habitable— gallery. The other two galleries are porticoes punctuated by corner keeps. These porticoes were organized into several bays. The central bay, comprising three arches, was flanked on either side by another bay, comprising two arches. The arch in the centre of the south gallery was built slightly more towards the north, thereby corresponding with the axis of the large reservoir situated to the west of the palace. All the arches are supported by strong pillars, a chief characteristic of early Almohad architecture, used in both Spain and Morocco (Tinmal Mosque, 1153–1154). The central arch of the portico is supported by even stronger pillars, which make it more imposing. The same pillars are used for the portals between each of the bays.

The palace's main points of interest are its gardens and orchards, which are surrounded by a wall that is now very damaged. Highly skilled agronomists and botanists helped the architect to landscape the gardens. They drew up the plans and chose the areas for planting. The gardens probably looked like the Menara Gardens in Marrakech (Morocco, twelfth century) or the Agdal Gardens (Marrakech), which are typical examples of the large Islamic royal gardens, in which water played an important role. The various fruit trees (olives, grapes, and exotic fruits) were imported from Granada and Guadix. The water used to irrigate the gardens was transported by aqueducts—Los caños de Carmona (the pipes of Carmona)—, which were rebuilt in 1172 using the remains of the old aqueduct from the castle of Yabir.

The large reservoir to the west of the palace provided a reflection of the palace and can be considered as the direct precursor of those that were constructed in Granada and Marrakech. The archaeological excavations have revealed the remains of a square pavilion that served as a mirador above the orchards on the southern side of the reservoir. The four sides of the pavilion were opened out with paired bays. The garden pavilion—a light but permanent construction—was widely used in the very varied geography of the Islamic world.