Synopsis
The Royal Alcazar Palace and gardens in Seville is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes the cathedral next door to the palace. The gardens, like the palace itself, have undergone many changes over the years, with different architecture styles within the gardens and varieties of planting depending on the garden style and use. Colourful Moorish tiles are used frequently in the gardens, on steps, benches and fountains. Water features heavily in the garden too, in pools, water fountains, spouts and ponds. Much of the garden is formal but areas such as the English Garden have a more informal atmosphere. Several garden courtyards are within the palace buildings such as the Court of the Maidens, where standard fruit trees are set against a backdrop of ornate multi-foil arches and are one of the most important examples of Mudejar architecture in the world, dating as far back as the 1300's. Date palms tower above the gardens and there are many architectural features within the gardens themselves such as the Gallery of the Grotesque/Grotto, a covered walkway extending far out into the gardens and giving elevated views through ornate arches, with marble columns and walls with rocks embedded, fusing nature with architecture and built in the 16th century. All the palace gardens are explored in this article, along with the history and architecture styles.
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