Qasr Ibn Sa'd: The palace residence of the Taifa king of Murcia

The Castillejo de Monteagudo, or Qasr Ibn Sa'd, was a palace residence built beyond the city walls in the 12th century. During his reign, the Taifa king of Murcia undertook various architectural projects, including the palace of Dar As-Sugra in the Murcian arrabal of Arrixaca. This royal residence, Qasr Ibn Sa'd, was built on a small hill near the mountain where the Castillo de Monteagudo is located, situated in the surrounding huerta.

The palace was part of a residential complex that included the nearby fortification of Larache and a series of ponds and other structures recently discovered in the adjacent flat area. As the state of the monarch began to decline, Qasr Ibn Sa'd lost its function and suffered damage. The initial damage occurred during the siege of Murcia in 1165, when troops raided the surrounding huerta and the palace.

Archaeological excavations in 2018 revealed that the palatial complex in the adjacent flat area had another construction phase at the end of the 12th century or beginning of the 13th century. This phase was used after the treaty of Alcaraz, suggesting the site may have hosted Alfonso X and his court in 1257. Following the final collapse of the kingdom in 1172, the palace was devastated and eventually abandoned as its neighbor, the Castillo de Monteagudo, remained garrisoned until the 16th century.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons