Reales Alcázares, Royal palace in Seville, Spain
Reales Alcázares is a royal palace complex in Seville, Spain, featuring courtyards surrounded by arcades with slender columns and decorative arches. Water flows through shallow channels into central basins while ceramic tiles in blue and ochre cover floors and lower walls.
Construction started in 913 when Caliph Abdurrahman III ordered a fortified residence on this site. Christian monarchs later expanded the complex considerably, especially King Pedro I during the 1360s, who employed Muslim craftsmen.
Many of the rooms and galleries still display original Mudejar carpentry and stucco work created by Christian craftsmen trained in Islamic techniques. The gardens themselves follow formal Renaissance layouts planted with orange trees and native hedges that cool the courtyards throughout summer.
The palace opens daily except Mondays; tickets can be purchased online in advance to avoid queues. The gardens are extensive and shaded, so plan at least two hours for your visit.
The upper floors remain the official Seville residence of Spain's royal family and are closed to visitors during royal stays. This makes the complex the oldest continuously inhabited royal palace in Europe.
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