Real Alcázar: The palace began as a fort built over...

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A fort

The palace began as a fort built over a Christian basilica

In 913 or 914 the first emir of Córdoba, Abd al-Rahman III, built a fortified construction in place of a Visigothic Christian basilica. It was roughly square, about 100 metres on each side, with walls and rectangular towers.

Twelve palaces

The Almohads built about twelve palaces here in the 12th century

In 1163 the caliph Abu Yaʿqub Yusuf made the Alcázar his main residence, and in 1169 he expanded it. With the exception of the walls, nearly all previous buildings were demolished, and a total of approximately twelve palaces were built. One of the new structures was a very large garden courtyard.

Pedro I

Pedro I rebuilt it in the 1360s with craftsmen who may have come from Granada

In the 1360s much of the complex was rebuilt by Pedro I in an ornate Mudéjar style. A Latin inscription on the facade gives the year 1364, and an Arabic inscription in the Hall of the Ambassadors gives 1366. It is likely that Muhammad V of Granada, Pedro's ally, sent craftsmen to help.

Justice

A throne hall commemorates a victory at Río Salado

In the mid-14th century Alfonso XI commissioned a new throne hall known as the Hall of Justice, which commemorated his victory at the Battle of Río Salado in 1340. It was built in a Mudéjar style, with stucco decoration based directly on contemporary Islamic Andalusi architecture.

Today

The royal family still lives on the upper floors

The upper storeys of the Alcázar are still occupied by the royal family when they visit Seville. The palace was registered by UNESCO in 1987 as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.

Day 1, afternoon

It comes after Giralda. Then Barrio Santa Cruz.

See it in the plan

Real Alcázar