Real Alcazar

Situated on a vast plain between the Guadalquivir River and the Tagarete stream, the royal palace of Sevilla—the oldest surviving royal enclosure in Spain, which is still used by the Spanish royal family today—forms a magnificent royal ensemble. Today, it comprises 7 hectares of grounds and around 14,000m² of building space. Its long and turbulent history makes it a unique symbol of the cultural syncretism that characterizes Spain. Although the State gave it to the municipality of Sevilla in 1931, the royal apartments are reserved exclusively for members of the royal family.

This edifice is without doubt a symbol of Spanish Mudéjar art. Visitors are surprised to see that, although it was a Christian palace, its exterior and design bear a closer resemblance to Andalusian and eastern buildings.

Built on foundations dating from the Roman period, it was a particularly important building in the tenth century, during the reign of the Umayyad caliph of Córdoba, Abd al-Rahman III (reigned 912–961). The walls that surround it were designed and built by the inhabitants of Al-Andalus. Recent excavations under the foundations of the Patio de la Montería have revealed building work dating from the period of the Taifa kingdoms (eleventh century) and the Almoravid period (1056–1147). The remains of an Almohad palace (dating from 1171–1176) have also survived. Work was later carried out by the Christian kings Alfonso X and Peter I. However, the palace's current lay-out is very much a result of later Christian construction work.

In the enclosure, visitors can see the Patio del Léon (courtyard of the lion), the Patio de las Banderas (courtyard of the flags), and the Patio de la Montería (courtyard of the hunt). In the latter is the magnificent façade of the Palace of Peter I—a paradigm of the beauty, luxury, and purity of the Mudéjar style. There's a combination of brick pilasters on marble columns, near a magnificent polychrome wood canopy, which acts as a link between the mosque of Sevilla and the Alhambra palace in Granada. This Almohad façade is decorated with polylobed blind arcades. Some of the elements are similar to the Córdoban style, and the ceramic decorations are eastern in origin. The Almohad saying, ‘only Allah is victorious’, appears in kufic script on the blue and white ceramic covering of the lintel.

The Mudéjar palace of Peter I, which has a surface area of around 2,500m², has two courtyards—one was reserved for official use, and around the other are organized the private living areas. Inside, there is the famous Salón de Embajadores (ambassadors' room), which was the throne room of the Castilian king Don Pedro. It is a square-shaped room covered by an impressive Islamic style cupola that may represent the universe. The patio de las Munecas, the patio de la Doncellas, and the ‘dormitory of the Moorish kings’ are also worth a visit.

Despite the confrontations that damaged relations between Christians and Muslims in the fourteenth century, this architectural ensemble is a good illustration of the dynamism of the cultural exchanges between the inhabitants (of all religions) of the Iberian Peninsula. Craftsmen from Toledo and Granada helped build the palace.