Upon entering the Alcazar Seville, I was immediately struck by how much it reminds me of our visit to Marrakesh. The Moorish design is quite obvious. The color and design of the tiles are reminiscent of the ones we saw at the Bahia Palace and the Ben Youssef Madrasa school of Koran.
The colors, the style and the workmanship were almost identical. It makes sense of course,  as Seville was ruled by the Almohades thousands of years ago.The Alcazar is considered one of the most beautiful palaces in Spain.I totally believe it. Sure it’s smaller than the Alhambra of Granada, but it wows you nonetheless.
Alcazar Seville:
 
 Real Alcazar of Seville:
The Alcazar is done in  a style known as “Mudejar”. This was a name given to Muslims who lived in Andalusia and remained there after the Christians conquered it, but who did not convert to Christianity. The “Moriscos” on the other hand converted to Christianity. Mudejar is also an architectural style that is strongly Morrish influenced. The Mudejar people were later expelled anyway in latter years along with the Moriscos as their allegiance were questioned.
The Alcazar is still the official residence of the Spanish royal family when they visit Seville. It became a UNESCO world heritage site in 1987, same time as the Seville Cathedral.The official name of the Alcazar in Spanish is Reales Alcazares de Sevilla. Just like it happened in tons of other places, there was an original palace there called Al-Muwarak that was built by the Almohades. Going into the Alcazar is like going back in time, Muslim with a Christian twist.
Seville Palace: On the podcast:
Patio de la Doncellas (Courtyard of the Maidens):
The Legend of the name :-) as it is also called courtyard of the virgins. Featured in Alcazar Seville Game of Thrones.
There is a long, reflecting pool down the middle and it has sunken gardens on both sides. The courtyard used to be all marble with a fountain in the center. Evidence showed that the original plans had the pool and gardens, and they were therefore restored. The lower level of the patio was built for King Peter I. He is described as a “Sultan” in some of the inscriptions.
Baths of Lady Maria de Padilla at the Seville Alcazar:
Los Banos de Dona Maria de Padilla are rainwater tanks that are under the Patio. Unfortunately, we did not get to see these. We wandered around the palace and it’s gardens for almost four hours on a very hot Sevilla day and we completely forgot to go back inside and check this out. I guess we have to save it for our next visit. I hear they are incredibly beautiful :-). The baths are named for Maria de Padilla who was the mistress of Peter the Cruel.
Alcázar of Seville La Casa de Contratacion (House of Trade):
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Built in 1503 by the Catholic Monarchs to conduct trading with the New World colonies, meaning the Americas, Caribbean and Bermuda islands. Amerigo Vespucci, for whom America was named, was the originator of the phrase “New World”. There is a lovely chapel inside. Trade disputes were settled in the building.
Christopher Columbus actually met with Ferdinand and Isabella in the chapel. It used to be a lot bigger than it is now. There was a major demolition in 1964, with a lot of the offices either torn down and some more moved to the city of Cadiz. **Podcast misidentifies Columbus as the first man to use the phrase..sorry..it was Vespucci.**
Seville Palace: Charles V Ceiling Room:
Constructed between 1541 and 1543 under the reign of Emperor Charles V. It has 75 octagonal caissons. It also has the coat of arms of the Habsburg empire with inscriptions “Plus Ultra&...