The medieval town of Bayra (Vera, Almería, Spain) was the main Nasrid urban enclave on the eastern border between the kingdoms of Granada and Murcia between the 13th and 15th centuries. The Andalusi medina was inhabited between the 9th century and the beginning of the 16th century, when it was destroyed by a powerful earthquake. It was located on the Cerro del Espíritu Santo, which allowed it to control a large territory in the basin of the Bajo Almanzora.
Since 2021, programmed and systematic archaeological excavations have been carried out at the Cerro del Espíritu Santo site. The urban organisation of the settlement, the structure of the dwellings located inside it, the elements used for the defence of the city, as well as the evolution and characteristics of the upper fortress have been identified in detail.
The three seasons carried out since 2021 have made it possible to recover a series of findings of great value, including ceramics, glass and metals, as well as archaeobotanical remains from an arid environmental context.
