Tag Archives: Middle Ages

BATHS OF THE MOORISH QUEEN

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These are Almohad baths from the 13th century, which originally constituted one of the largest public baths built in Al Ándalus. After the Christian conquest of the city, they were ceded by Alfonso X to his stepmother, Queen Juana de Ponthieu. That would probably be the origin of the name. From 'Baños Moros de la Reina' would have derived 'Baños de la Reina Moor', since given the location of the complex, so far from the Alcázar, it is very unlikely that they were used by the wives of the kings or emirs of the city in Muslim era.

They continued to be used as baths after the Christian conquest of the city until the 16th century. Later a community of Augustinian nuns would settle there and in the 19th century it would become a headquarters of the Command of Engineers. The old barracks would be demolished in 1976 during the eighties the archaeological excavations began.

The baths are articulated around a large patio, surrounded by columns with muqarna capitals. This patio was originally covered by a vault and was probably the temperate room. The porticoed spaces that open around the patio are covered with barrel vaults, in which skylights open, with the starry shape so characteristic of Arab baths.

At the end of the patio two adjoining rectangular rooms open up, which would originally be the hot and cold rooms.

Currently, the Baths are annexed to the Brotherhood of Veracruz, which is co-owner of the property and manages its visits.

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ARAB BATHS OF THE GIRALDA BAR

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In the Bar Giralda Brewery, one of the many public baths that Isbiliya had has been preserved. In this case, it has the particularity that they were probably the closest to the great aljama mosque.

They have been dated to the beginning of the 12th century, in the Almoravid period and are probably the best preserved in Seville. They are built of brick and have a large central space, covered by a vaulted ceiling resting on tubes, which are supported by semicircular arches. The arches, in turn, rest on Tuscan columns, added later to replace the original support, which in all probability would be brick pillars.

On both sides of this central space there are two smaller ones, covered by a barrel vault. Most likely, the central space served as a warm room and those on the sides were the cold and hot rooms.

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ARAB BATHS OF THE MESON DEL MORO

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In this space currently occupied by a restaurant, the remains of one of the numerous public baths that Islamic Seville had have been preserved.

They date back to the 12th century and have preserved part of their original brick structure, with semicircular vaults resting on arches, some of which are horseshoe shaped. We can also see the original starry skylights, so characteristic of Arab baths.

The so-called Mesón del Moro was established in the building that the baths occupy, a lodging place whose origins some authors date back to the Middle Ages. Apparently, the name would derive from a concession of the Catholic Monarchs according to which all Muslims who stayed in the city had to do so in this establishment.

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ROYAL SHIPYARDS

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Las Atarazanas de Sevilla was an immense space dedicated to the manufacture, repair and storage of ships. Its construction began in the mid-13th century by order of Alfonso X the Wise, although it is known that there were already some shipyards in the area since Almohad times, ordered to be built by the Caliph Abu Yacub Yusuf. They were built taking advantage of the protection of the network of walls in that part of the city.

The building originally had seventeen naves, raised on enormous pointed brick arches and arranged perpendicular to the river. Each ship was 100 meters long by 12 meters wide, forming a total area of about 15,000 square meters.

Throughout history, the complex has undergone modifications in its layout and use, adapting to new ship models and the needs of the Navy at all times. Among the most important modifications we can mention the reconditioning of ships 13, 14 and 15 in the 16th century to be used as customs. In the 17th century, the naves between 8 and 12 were removed to install the Hospital de la Caridad.

Part of the Shipyards were used as a storage place for artillery since the 16th century and this purpose would be expanded in the 18th century, since in 1719 the seat of the Royal Artillery Maestranza was decreed in five of the ships.

At present, the Shipyards are undergoing extensive restoration and reform in order to turn them into an immense cultural space.

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WALL OF THE JEWISH QUARTER

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In Fabiola street we find a fragment of the wall barely ten meters long, which constitutes the only visible remains of the Jewish quarter wall that have come down to us. This wall was built in the 13th century to separate the Jewish community of Seville from the rest of the city, surrounding the current neighborhoods of Santa Cruz and San Bartolomé. This fence had a series of gates that were closed at night, trying to guarantee the safety of the Jewish community in the city. However, the monumentality of this wall did not prevent violent episodes, such as the dramatic assault in 1391 that killed hundreds of Seville Jews.

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The fragment that we see here is made of mud and at its base we can see the characteristic millstones inserted, so common in many of the buildings in the neighborhood. Its original purpose was to avoid possible damage caused by the axles of the wheels of the carts, especially on narrow roads like this one.

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REAL DOOR OR GOLES DOOR

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In this space was located one of the gates of the walled enclosure of the city. Today disappeared, only the canvas of the wall that had an annex has come down to us. It was called Puerta de Goles at least since the Christian conquest of the city until the 16th century. It became known as the Royal Gate after Philip II visited Seville in 1570, being the first king to enter the city through this gate. Until then, the monarchs entered the city through the Puerta de la Macarena.

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WALL OF THE CABILDO SQUARE

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We can see here a fragment of about 60 meters of wall, built in the 13th century creating a fortress that was located in this area as part of the complex defensive framework that surrounded the Alcázar and the great mosque at the end of the Islamic period.

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It is built with mud wall and preserves the walkway and the battlements. To the north, a tower has also been preserved, but it is not visible from the part of the Cabildo as it has lost its upper part and is therefore covered behind the wall.

At the exit from the square towards Arfe street, inserted between the residential building, another fragment of the wall can be seen, with the same dating and characteristics.

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GATE OF OIL

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It is one of the few gates of the walled enclosure of the city that have survived to this day. Its original construction has been dated to the Almohad period, probably in the 12th century, and it has been identified with the 'bab al-Qatai' or 'Gate of the Ships', which is mentioned in Muslim sources. This name would come from its proximity to the Almohad shipyards, also built in the 12th century.

The current name already appears in Christian times, in relation to the market and the oil warehouses that were located in the vicinity.
Its current appearance is far from the original and is mostly due to the reform undertaken by Benvenuto Tortello in the 16th century, focused on facilitating vehicle traffic through the shutter.
Also from the 16th century seems to be the monumental shield of Seville that is located on the opening towards the center of the city. It has been attributed to the Renaissance sculptor Juan Bautista Vázquez el Viejo.
Next to the Postigo is the small Chapel of La Pura y Limpia, built in the 18th century. There a small image of the Immaculate attributed to Pedro Roldán is venerated.

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WALLS OF ALCAZAR

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The walls that enclose the Alcázar of Seville on its northern side, towards the Plaza del Triunfo, are the most monumental and beautiful of those preserved in the city. Unlike the rest of the walls of Seville, here they were built using enormous stone ashlars, many of them from the old Roman walls, which were not in use due to the differences in height and dimensions between the Roman and Islamic city.

The exact chronology of this stretch of walls has been the subject of academic debate on numerous occasions. Traditionally, they have been identified with those that protected the "Dar al Imara" or "House of the Governor", a fortified palace that some sources mention was built in Seville during the Caliphate period (20th century).

However, archaeological research and study of the materials, led mainly by Professor Miguel Ángel Tabales Rodríguez, place the construction of this northern wall of the Alcázar in the Taifa period, already in the 11th century.

It is true that the use of ashlars to build defences in the cities of Al Andalus was a common practice, especially during the Caliphate period. But when the disintegration of the Caliphate took place, the resulting taifa kingdoms "saw in the construction of large walls imitating the caliphal ones an argument to reinforce their aspirations for domination, showing in each case the limitations in the use of the characteristic technique of each region in the absence of state programs and the decrease in the personnel and resources of a large state, now reduced to the control of municipalities and small states that were very deficient.

This is the case of Seville, a city with aspirations during the Abbadi dynasty, but very limited by its size and population, at least at the beginning of the works; yes, with the enormous advantage of having as construction material the magnificent quarry of blocks, already carved, as was the Roman wall of the city. In any case, the construction and implementation systems used were of proven solvency and resorted to solutions already known since Antiquity." (Tabales Rodríguez, M.A., Gurriarán Daza, P. "The construction of the Alcázar of Seville". Construction reports, nº563, 2021)

A series of seven rectangular towers, also built with ashlars, have been preserved in the wall. In both the towers and the wall, the section that was later raised but still in the Islamic period, probably in the 12th century, can be seen at the top. The upper part, including all the crenellations topped by pyramidal pieces, seems to be a recent addition, from the 19th century.

In this section of wall we find two doors. The closest to the Plaza de la Alianza is the Puerta de la Herradura, now blocked off. It owes its name to its horseshoe arch shape, framed by an alfiz. Apparently, it originally gave access to a guard post or tower.

In the Plaza del Triunfo we find the Puerta del Patio de Banderas, probably opened in the Almohad period (12th-13th century), as the two columns with capitals from this period that flank it on the patio side seem to attest. However, the materials that make up this entrance today seem to come from a reform undertaken at the end of the 16th century.

The wall in which the Puerta del León is located today was also built in the Almohad period. The towers that flank this door are, therefore, from different periods. The one on the left side, built with ashlars, is from the Taifa period (11th century), while the one on the right was built in the Almohad period (13th century), mostly in brick. Next to this second one, and facing Miguel de Mañara street, you can see the original entrance to the Almohad Alcázar, blocked when it was replaced by the current Puerta del León, opened during the reign of Pedro I (14th century).

TOWER OF ABDELAZIZ

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Also called Torre de Santo Tomás. It was built in the Almohad period, in the 13th century, as part of the canvas of the wall that linked the Alcázar with the Torre del Oro. It has a hexagonal floor plan and is about 15 meters high, being solid in the first 8 meters.

It is built with brick, reinforced with ashlars at the base and at the corners. In its upper half, it is crossed by the two horizontal stripes so characteristic of the Almohad towers. Each wall is decorated at the top with polylobed blind arches framed by alfices.

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