Reales Alcázares

The Alcázar of Seville, officially called Royal Alcázar of Seville (Spanish: Real Alcázar de Sevilla or Reales Alcázares de Sevilla), is a historic royal palace in Seville, Spain and one of the official residences of the Spanish royal family. It was formerly the site of the Islamic-era citadel of the city, begun in the 10th century under the Umayyads and then developed into a larger palace complex by the Abbadid dynasty (11th century) and the Almohads (12th to early 13th centuries). After the Castilian conquest of the city in 1248, the site was progressively rebuilt and replaced by new palaces and gardens. Among the most important of these is a richly decorated Mudéjar-style palace built by Pedro I during the 1360s. The palace is a preeminent example of Mudéjar style in the Iberian Peninsula and also includes sections with Gothic and Renaissance elements. The upper storeys of the Alcázar are still occupied by the royal family when they visit Seville and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.

The Spanish term Alcázar (pronounced [alkaa]) comes from Arabic: , romanized: al-qaṣr (, "a large stone building from which power is projected"), which is ultimately from Latin castrum "fort".

In the year 712, Seville was conquered by the Umayyad Caliphate. In the year 913–914, after a revolt against the government of Córdoba, the first emir of Córdoba, Abd al-Rahman III, built a fortified construction in place of a Visigothic Christian basilica. It was a quadrangular, roughly square enclosure about 100 metres (330 ft) long on each side, fortified with walls and rectangular towers, and annexed to the city walls. In the 11th century, during the Taifa, the Abbadid ruler al-Mu'tamid expanded the complex southwards and eastwards, with a new southern enclosure measuring approximately 70 by 80 metres (230 by 260 ft). This new palace was called al-Mubarak "the Blessed" . Various additions to the construction such as stables and warehouses were also carried out. Towards 1150, the Almohad Caliphate began to develop Seville as their capital in al-Andalus. The Almohad governor extended the fortified complex to the west, nearly doubling its size. At least six new courtyard palaces were constructed in the old enclosures, and nine palaces were added in the western extensions. In 1163 the caliph Abu Yaqub Yusuf made the Alcazar his main residence in the region. He further expanded and embellished the palace complex in 1169, adding six new enclosures to the north, south, and west sides of the existing palaces. The works were carried out by architects Ahmad Ben Baso and Ali al-Ghumari. With the exception of the walls, nearly all previous buildings were demolished, and a total of approximately twelve palaces were built. Among the new structures was a very large garden courtyard, now known as the Patio del Crucero, which stood in the old Abbadid enclosure. Between 1171 and 1198, an enormous new congregational mosque was built on the north side of the Alcazar (later transformed into the current Cathedral of Seville). A shipyard was also built nearby in 1184, and a textile market was established in 1196. There are few remnants of these Islamic-era constructions today. Archaeological remains of the Al Mubarak Palace are currently preserved under the Patio de la Monteria. Several wall painting fragments were found that are now exhibited in the Palacio del Yeso. The courtyard buildings now known as the Palacio del Yeso (or Patio del Yeso), the Palacio de la Contratación, and the Patio del Crucero all preserve remains from the Almohad period.

Palace data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).