Royal Alcázar of Seville

Listen first. Somewhere close by, water is running. It drips from a spout, slides along a narrow stone channel, and settles into a still pool. The air smells of orange blossom and warm brick. Above you, plaster carved as finely as lace catches the light and throws small shadows across the floor. This is the Royal Alcázar of Seville. For more than a thousand years, rulers of very different faiths have chosen to live here, and each one left a layer behind.

You probably came in through the Lion Gate. Look back at it if you can. A tiled lion holds a cross above the entrance, a Christian emblem placed on walls that are older than Christian rule in this city. That small contrast is the key to the whole complex. The Alcázar is not one building. It is a set of palaces, courtyards and gardens added over many centuries, which is why the style changes so often as you walk.

The story begins in the tenth century. Seville was then part of al-Andalus, the Muslim-ruled lands of the Iberian Peninsula, and the rulers of Córdoba built a fortress on this site. Later Muslim dynasties expanded it into a walled palace city. The word alcázar itself comes from Arabic and means a fortified palace. Some of those early walls still stand. Look for stretches of rough, earth-coloured masonry that feel heavier and plainer than everything around them.

In 1248, King Ferdinand the Third of Castile took Seville. The Christian kings who followed did something surprising. They did not tear the palace down. They moved in, and over time they built in a style that we now call Mudéjar. This word describes the work of Muslim craftsmen, and craftsmen trained in their traditions, who worked for Christian patrons. The result is Islamic in its patterns and its feel, but it was built for Castilian kings.

The finest example is the Palace of King Pedro the First, built in the fourteenth century. History remembers Pedro by two names. His enemies called him Pedro the Cruel. His supporters called him Pedro the Just. Stand in front of the palace façade and look closely at the band of writing. Part of it is in Arabic, repeating a phrase that means there is no conqueror but God. Another inscription, in Castilian script, names Pedro as the king who built it. Two languages share one wall.

Step inside and you reach the Courtyard of the Maidens. A long rectangular pool runs down the centre, with sunken gardens on each side. Around it, scalloped arches rest on slender columns, and the plaster above them is cut into dense geometric and plant patterns. Look upward and the style changes. The upper floor was added in the sixteenth century in a Renaissance manner. It is calmer and more classical, built by later kings who wanted to update the old palace.

The name of the courtyard comes from a legend, not from documents. According to one popular tale, the Muslim rulers of al-Andalus once demanded a yearly tribute of one hundred young maidens from the Christian kingdoms. Historians treat this story as myth, and it was probably told to justify war. Still, the name stayed. It is a reminder that a palace collects stories as well as stone, and that not every story told here is true.

Now find the Hall of Ambassadors. This was the throne room, and it is the high point of Pedro's palace. Above you rises a wooden dome covered in gold, built of thousands of small interlocking pieces that form a pattern like stars. The walls below are covered in tiles and carved plaster. Horseshoe arches open on three sides. Stand in the centre for a moment. The room was designed to make visitors feel small before the king, and it still works.

Next, look for a much smaller space, the Courtyard of the Dolls. This was the private heart of the palace, where the royal family lived away from official guests. The name comes from tiny carved faces hidden in the decoration of one of the arches. They are very small and easy to miss. Locals say that anyone who finds them will have good luck. Searching for them is one of the quiet pleasures of a visit.

Not every part of the Alcázar looks Islamic. The Gothic Palace was first built in the thirteenth century under King Alfonso the Tenth, and it was heavily altered later. Here the rooms are tall and bright, with wide walls covered in blue and yellow tiles. In 1526, the Emperor Charles the Fifth married Isabella of Portugal in Seville, and the celebrations took place in this palace. The large tapestries in these halls show one of his military campaigns.

The Alcázar also played a part in the age of exploration. In 1503, the Spanish crown created the House of Trade here, an office that controlled shipping and commerce with the Americas. Navigators, merchants and mapmakers passed through these rooms. In the Admiral's Hall, look for a painting of the Virgin of the Navigators. She spreads her cloak over sailors and ships. Some people believe one of the figures may be Christopher Columbus, but this is not certain.

Below the Gothic Palace lies a long, dim vault called the Baths of Doña María de Padilla. She was the woman Pedro the First loved, although they were never officially married. Despite the name, these were not really baths. The space was used to store rainwater and to keep the gardens above it cool. The light here is soft and green, reflected from a long pool under heavy arches. It is one of the most photographed corners of the palace.

Finally, the gardens. They spread across a large area behind the palaces, with fountains, pavilions, orange trees, palms and hedges. Peacocks walk freely along the paths. Look for the Mercury Pond and the long Gallery of the Grotesques, a raised walkway along an old wall. Fans of the television series Game of Thrones may recognise these gardens, because several scenes were filmed here. Together with the cathedral and the Archive of the Indies, the Alcázar is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

There is one more surprise. This is not only a museum. The upper rooms are still used by the Spanish royal family when they visit Seville, which makes the Alcázar one of the oldest royal residences in Europe still in use. So as you walk back toward the gate, listen again to the water in its channels. It has run through these courtyards for caliphs, kings and emperors. Today, for a little while, it runs for you.