The Royal Treatment: El Real Alcázar

Today a group of my friends and I took a tour of the breathtaking Real Alcázar de Sevilla. The tour was free for CIEE students and conducted by CIEE professors, and it was incredibly interesting and filled to the brim with fun facts.

¡Mis amigas y yo!

The Alcázar is a royal palace (in fact, the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe!) that was originally constructed as a Moorish fort. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (combined with the nearby Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies, both of which I intend to visit soon!). The Alcázar is a prime example of mudéjar architecture, which combines elements of Moorish/Muslim and Christian architectural styles. There are also beautiful gardens adjacent to the buildings.

One of the “French-style” sections of the Jardín. Our guide compared it to Versailles, but with palm trees.

The gardens themselves were impressive, with lots of very tall trees and neatly-trimmed hedges. I think there will be a lot more flowers and greenery in the spring, so I may have to go back!

More orange trees! They’re everywhere in Seville.

Seville has a great deal of beautiful ceramic work, including at the Alcázar. Lots of different styles are represented, and it’s hard not to think about how much work went into making, hand-painting, and installing all of the azulejos (tiles) and other creations.

Beautiful vases like this one (and ones stamped with “RA”) are scattered around.

A great deal of green tiles are used, as green is a symbol of the Prophet Muhammad. Also, note the decorative Arabic script towards the top part of the wall!

A long wall of Gothic Christian tiles. These feature more humans and anthropomorphic animals, whereas Muslim tiles tend to focus on the use of geometric shapes.

“Plus ultra,” the national motto of Spain.

As in the photo above, the phrase “Plus ultra” can be seen throughout the Alcázar. This is the national motto of Spain, and is Latin for “further beyond.” The motto was inspired by the legend of the Pillars of Hercules, which were supposedly built by Hercules near Gibraltar to mark the edge of the known world. Legend says that the pillars are carved with the words “Nec plus ultra” (“Nothing farther beyond”) to warn sailors. However, the “Plus ultra” motto was adopted to encourage Spanish explorers to go past Gibraltar and on to the New World.

The Palace of Peter of Castile, where the Spanish royal family sometimes lives.

The Spanish Royal Family stays at the Alcázar whenever they come to Seville! Unfortunately, according to our tour guide, this is pretty rare. However, in the past, the Patio de la Montería has been used for royal weddings and royal wedding receptions.

The Spanish Royal Family, including King Juan Carlos I, Queen Sofía, Felipe the Prince of Asturias, and family members. (Photo from The Telegraph.)

Patio de la Montería

Since I don’t think my pictures will do this place justice, here’s a link to some official 360 degree virtual tours of the Alcázar: Link.

And now, here are a bunch of my favorite pictures:

Roman-style aqueduct to bring water from a nearby pueblo into the city.

View of the Patio del Yeso.

The Courtyard of the Maidens

Archways in the Courtyard of the Maidens

Carved stucco and arches are characteristic of Muslim architecture from this time period.

It was very colorful and intricate!

Architecture in Spain features a lot of interior courtyards. Very Roman!

One of the private rooms that once housed royalty.

Light shining through the stained glass above an altar in the Palacio Gótico.

The Fuente de Mercurio (Mercury Fountain)

After finishing our tour and exploring a bit on our own, my group ran a few errands, and then one of my friends and I went to a restaurant near our neighborhood for coffee and some delicious crepes! It’s been a fun and enjoyable domingo (Sunday)!