The Royal Alcázar of Seville, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the oldest functioning palace in Europe. Its origins date back to the 11th century, when the Muslim authorities decided to build a fortress in a strategic area of Seville to guarantee its security. Protected by a wall, the Alcázar is made up of various palaces and gardens built in different historical periods.
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| Alcazar of Seville |
Thus, the Alcázar of Seville offers a wide range of styles, combining elements typical of Muslim, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic art, as well as some of the finest examples of Mudéjar art, the product of a mixture of Islamic and Christian cultures.
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| Alcazar of Seville |
History of the Alcázar of Seville
Since the founding of the city, the development of Seville has been closely linked to the Guadalquivir River. Its political and demographic superiority in many periods of history was largely due to the fact that it was located at the last navigable point of the river for ships with a certain draft.
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| Alcazar of Seville |
Thus the Iberian Seville, called Ispal, which was home to the flourishing Tartessian civilization around 700 BC, became the Hispalis of the Romans in 200 BC. (two great emperors, Trajan and Adrian, were born in neighboring Italy). The city later came to be known as Isbilia by Muslims after the Arab invasion of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD.
In the 11th century, the fate of the city was forever linked with the Alcázar of Seville, a fortress designed to protect the square on the banks of the Guadalquivir and to house the residence of the Muslim king and the offices of state administration.
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| Alcazar of Seville |
Since then, Seville and its Royal Alcázar have developed in unison, sensitive to the intervention of each of the monarchs who ruled within its walls and in most cases greatly admired what their predecessors built. It is thanks to this admiration that the Royal Alcázar of Seville is so well preserved, which includes the rudiments of all eras, from the Caliphate of Cordoba to the present day, and whose walls have witnessed great events in the history of Spain. Numerous books on architecture have explored its rich structure.