Dictionary of islamic architecture

Parts of the first Umayyad mosque founded in
859 can be found in the church of San Salvador. These
remains include arcades resting on columns (now
sunk deep into the ground) and the minaret which
may be the oldest surviving Muslim building in
Spain. The present cathedral of Santa Maria de la
Sede is built on the site of the Almohad Great Mosque
built in 1172. The mosque itself no longer exists but
the minaret known as La Giralda still dominates the
city’s main square. The tower took fourteen years to
build and is over 50 m high. The tower has a square
base and shaft (like all minarets in Spain) and has
ramps inside instead of staircases. The interior
contains seven chambers, one on each storey, each
with a different type of vault. Each face of the exterior
is divided into three vertical strips or decorative
semahane

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panels. Each floor has a centrally placed pair of
windows with a single column in the middle and
either side of the windows are paired niches of
similar design. Above the windows and niches is a
delicate net-like diamond pattern executed in
elaborate brickwork. The tower bears a strong
resemblance to the Kutubiyya minaret in Marakesh
also built by the Almohads.
Little remains of the original defences of the city
which contained twelve gates and 116 interval towers,
although the remaining parts have been recently
restored. The Torre del Oro, a twelve-sided tower,
represents the latest phase of Muslim fortifications.
The best example of Mudéjar architecture in Seville is
the Alcazar which was rebuilt as the palace of Pedro
the Cruel in the fourteenth century. Many of the
masons and carpenters were hired from Granada thus
explaining some of the similarity between the lavish
decoration and intricate design of this palace and
the Alhambra. The palace also re-used some of the
columns and other building materials taken from
Madinat al-Zahra
after its destruction in 1010. The
palace contains a series of courtyards or patios which
are decorated with intricate carved stonework
arcades and polychrome tile dadoes. The most
famous of these courtyards is the Patio de las
Doncellas which has an arcade composed of multi-
lobed arches resting on twin columns, above which
is a diaper pattern similar to that of the Giralda
Minaret. The highlight of the palace is the Salón de
los Embajadores which is covered with an amazing
wooden dome decorated with star patterns and
supported on intricate wooden muqarnas squinches.