This small courtyard with two porticoes was part of an Almohad residence. It was transformed under Christian rule with the addition of a qubba or square reception hall covered with a wood ceiling. It was the residence of Pedro I in 1358 before the construction of his new palace. After the reform, a large pool occupied most of the courtyard and was flanked by two small garden areas. The courtyard was rediscovered in 1855 and restored in 1918–20 and 1969–71.
The courtyard was still in use in the seventeenth century according to cartographic documents, but disappears from the plans dating to the eighteenth.
Source: Archaeological Analysis, 1920
-Antonio Almagro, Luis Ramón-Laca
Resources:
Casas y palacios de la Sevilla Almohade. Sus antecedentes hispánicos (Open in Zotero)
El jardín musulmán de la antigua casa de contratación de Sevilla: Intervención arquitectónica (Open in Zotero)
Una nueva interpretación del patio de la Casa de Contratación del Alcázar de Sevilla (Open in Zotero)
Originally published at: Almagro, Antonio, and Luis Ramón-Laca. “Patio del Yeso, 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
