Museums of Spain - Real Alcazar of Seville

Hello, and welcome to a new episode in my Museums of Spain series. Today, we'll be looking at the famous real Alcazar of Seville, in Spanish, El Real Alcazar de Sevilla. I will be talking about the history of this UNESCO heritage site with some photos I took in the background. First off, what is an Alcazar? Alcazar comes from the Arabic word for fortress, Al-Qasr, and there are many Alcazares throughout Spain, particularly in the southern half of the country. Naturally, the Alcazar of Seville began its life as a Moorish fortress, later taken by Christian armies. In 913, the Caliph of Cordoba, Abdurrahman III, ordered the new government premises to be built on the southern flank of Seville, known to the Arabs as Ispililla. It was later expanded upon by the Abadid dynasty, the Almoravid dynasty, and finally, the Almohad dynasty in the 12th century. In 1248, Seville was taken by the forces of Fernando III after a siege. This would be an although the capture of Seville was eclipsed by the capture of Cordoba in 1236. Nevertheless, Seville was an important city for the Christian forces, and the Alcazar was turned into a royal residence right away. It has been expanded throughout the centuries by various Spanish monarchs, such as Pedro I in 1364 and his first ceremonies, such as the wedding of Carlos I and Isabel of Portugal in 1526. Today, it remains a royal residence and a highly visited tourist attraction. Because it is such a busy attraction year-round, I recommend booking your tickets in advance. The Alcazar is open from Monday to Sunday from 9 to 5. General admission is €9.50, with the audio guide being €5. Students under 25 years of age and retired people get a discount with proper identification. You will also probably find different prices online depending on the agency. I have been told there's free admission on Mondays to hours before closing, but you have to book that online as well. I cannot recommend this place enough. Here you will find gardens, a hedge maze, beautiful rooms in the Muriha style, fountains, and more all for a reasonable price. There's also a peacock walking around the gardens. I didn't go up to the royal bedrooms, but even the main floor and garden is enough to justify a visit. You cannot miss this place if you visit Seville. That's it from me for this video. Please leave a comment below if you have any recommendations or criticism or reach me at hispanichistorypodcast at gmail.com. I will leave you with some music as the video continues. Thank you for watching!