The first stop everyone makes in Seville is to visit the Real Alcazar of Seville. This and Granada’s Alhambra are the two big tourist “must visit” sites in Andalusia. It is strongly advisable to pre-book tickets to these two attractions as they are absolutely crawling with tourists. Don’t let that put you off going though. These places are jaw-droppingly special. These photos are a very small selection of many, many photos that were taken. People probably argue as to which is better, Seville’s Alcazar or Granada’s Alhambra. I would insist that a visit is essential to both if you are in the region. They are different. It is easy to forget in the Alhambra that the patterns on the walls used to include colour but with time, the colour has all worn away. In the Alcazar, there is still a lot of colour and I was surprised how understated and lovely it looks. I had assumed that the inclusion of colour would make it all very garish. For me, Seville’s Alcazar is better, but only by a whisker!
The reason why this type of architecture looks so distinctive because it is influenced by Islam where it is not permitted to make art with depictions of humans or animals in case it led to idol worship. As a result, great artistic beauty can be found in patterns and symmetry.
One of the striking things about Seville how you can feel the city’s long and layered history through it’s varied architecture.
