Seville (or Sevilla) the capital of Andalusia is an architectonic jewel. Founded by the ancient Iberians, the city had a long history of conquests before the Islamic rule that, from the conquest in 712 AD, lasted for five hundred years.
The core of Islamic Seville (Arabic Ishbiliya) include the Cathedral (constructed on the site of the Almohad Great Mosque), the Christian Alcázar, and the medieval quarter known as the Barrio Santa Cruz.
Sevilla: the Giralda |
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Seville most famous Islamic monument is the Giralda tower. It is
the former minaret of the Great Mosque that was constructed in the late twelfth-century
by the Almohads ruler and whose main entrance was known as the Puerta del Perdon. The Giralda, the Court of the Oranges, and the Gate of Pardon, all that remain of the Almohad
mosque, are now integrated into the gothic cathedral which, following the
christian conquest, was built destroying the mosque. The plan of the cathedral closely follows the former footprint of the mosque, making it one of the largest Gothic churches in the world. Inside among other things the "Capilla Mayor" and the body of Christopher Columbus.
The Giralda is the emblem of Seville. Each façade of the minaret, which is constructed of brick and stone, is ornamented with interlacing arches supported on columns
framed within rectangular panels grouping polylobed arched windows. The belltower and its supporting base are additions from the 16th century.
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Sevilla: the Alcázar
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Close to the Cathedral, the Alcázar, fortified Mudéjar palace with beautiful gardens, as it exists today is mainly the product of re-building campaigns carried out during the rule of the
christian ruler Pedro I. The Alcázar is marked by its islamicizing visual language, which is similar to what later developed at the Alhambra by the Nasrid Sultans of Granada. Although almost nothing remains of the Almohad palace, the rebuilt palace is still within the
islamic palaces tradition. The palace is arranged around a rectangular court, entered through the remains of
the Almohad wall. The main courtyard (the Patio de las Doncellas) is surrounded by luxurious reception halls ornamented with carved wood doors, ceilings, and polychrome glazed tile dados. Paved with white marble, the Patio de las Doncellas has a large central fountain and is surrounded by an arcade ornamented with elaborately carved stucco. The Patio de las Muñecas (Court of the Dolls) is a smaller, though richly ornamented, courtyard. On the west side of the entrance courtyard is the Hall of Justice that opens onto the Patio del Yesso (Court of Stucco).
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