Seville is the largest city and capital of the Spanish region of Andalusia with a population of around 1.5 million. Its historic centre is packed full of splendid buildings and tourist attractions, including three Unesco World Heritage Sites.
Not surprisingly, it is immensely popular with tourists, especially during the summer. Thrifty Traveller spent two days walking about this charming city, which was way too short to fully cover all the sights and sounds it has to offer.
One of the aforementioned Unesco sites is the Catedral de Santa Maria de la Sede, said to be the third-largest church in the world after St Peter’s Basilica in Rome and St Paul’s Cathedral in London.
The cathedral started life as a mosque, built during the Moors’ 800-year occupation of Andalusia. It was mostly destroyed and rebuilt as a Gothic-style church in the 1400s.
La Giralda is the magnificent bell tower attached to the cathedral. The base of the tower was originally the minaret of the mosque, with the upper floors – from the bells upwards – added later by the Christians.
Facing the cathedral is the Alcazar, a complex of palatial rooms, courtyards and gardens, lavishly decorated in the Moorish style.
The magnificent golden dome in the Hall of the Ambassadors symbolises the Universe. The frieze that runs along the top of the room contains portraits of Spanish monarchs – a unique fusion of cultures.
More fine Islamic-style decor can be seen on the ceiling and plaster work using only geometric patterns and Arabic calligraphy.
The architectural mix of Muslim and Christian styles is known as Mudéjar, and can be seen again at Pabellón Mudéjar in Maria Luisa Park. Built between 1913 and 1915, it served as a permanent pavilion for the 1929 Ibero-American Exhibition.
The Plaza de España in Maria Luisa Park spans some 50,000 sq m and was also built for the 1929 expo. The fancy wedding-cake architecture is somewhat over the top, but you cannot fail to be impressed by the scale and ambition of the project.
It has been used as a location in many films, including “Lawrence of Arabia” and Sacha Baron Cohen’s “The Dictator”.
Jews were the other big community in Seville during Moorish times. Around 5,000 of them lived in the Santa Cruz Quarter until they were expelled during the Spanish Inquisition in the 15th century.
Today, Santa Cruz is a popular tourist area with narrow lanes, shops and restaurants.
Charmed by the sights of Seville? Check back in for part two of this article tomorrow!
This story first appeared in Thrifty Traveller.