Listen to Spanish stories through Spain property investment immigration: This is the Alcázar of Seville, which served as both a military fortress and a royal palace. It was first built in the 10th century, primarily by the Moorish Almohad Caliphs. The Moors actually originated from North Africa and were a mixture of Berbers, Black Muslims, and Arabs, lacking a single unified ethnography. Their only commonality was that they came from North Africa to conquer most of Spain, and they occupied it for seven or eight hundred years. Andalusia is the largest province in the southernmost part of Spain, adjacent to Africa, and this was once their home.
In the 13th century, the Moors lost power in the city of Seville, and the Alcázar palace changed hands. The new owner was a Christian king named Peter I, known to the world as "the Cruel." Although this monarch was brutal to his courtiers, he genuinely loved the Almohad architectural art of the Moors. In 1364, he recruited Moorish craftsmen from Granada to renovate the palace, creating a hybrid style of Iberian and Almohad architecture. During the construction of the famous Palace of King Peter, he not only employed multi-ethnic and multi-cultural craftsmen but also obtained precious ancient building materials and accessories from Cordoba, Valencia, and the nearby ancient Roman city of Italica to use in the renovation of the Seville Alcázar. Over the following centuries, this Seville fortress underwent several renovations, eventually blending Almohad, Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque artistic styles into a unique and beautiful castle.
The most dreamlike ancient wedding venue is actually a small courtyard, featuring many different shades of white, with rare and beautiful patterns carved into the plaster. A rough count reveals five layers of different styles and functions of patterns, each layer further divisible, gently surrounding the arches, column bases, and circular windows, perfectly combined together. This is exactly where the famous Spanish dual monarchs, Isabella and Ferdinand, held their wedding. The entire courtyard is like a finely crafted wedding cake. The carvings have a white, creamy texture that almost dazzles the eyes while whetting the appetite, making it irresistible. This place is truly marvelous; those who wish to propose or get married should consider it!
The Courtyard of the Maidens is exquisite, featuring a pool that extends to the four corners of the world in one's imagination, a sunken garden, delicate arcades, and carved wooden doors, comparable to the Court of the Myrtles in the Alhambra. The Moors once required the vassal Christian kingdoms to present 100 virgins annually to fill the Moorish king's harem, hence the name "Courtyard of the Maidens." Thinking about it now, I suddenly feel that the feminine sentiment in Islamic decorative art has its reasons. Men created architecture with the most beautiful lace only to set off and imprison concubines as delicate as flowers; thus, in Islamic culture, which is most strict regarding the separation of men and women, the harem was the most vibrant place. However, such exquisite architectural art for women was nothing more than a cage they spent their whole lives gazing through, and every stroke of those stunning ornaments likely flowed with their blood and tears.
Centuries later, Charles V added a second floor to the Courtyard of the Maidens, which almost perfectly blended Italian Renaissance and Almohad styles, integrating seamlessly with the original building. To this day, the second floor remains the private residence for the Spanish royal family during their visits.
In all fairness, the Seville Royal Palace is relatively well-preserved. Whether in terms of the exquisiteness of the carvings, the preservation of colors and materials, or the creative play in the transition between different styles, it is perhaps even superior to the world-famous Alhambra. But perhaps it is precisely because it does not have to bear such great fame that the Seville fortress has been better preserved.