CinX's Travels 2015

CinX · January 10, 2016, 12:51:02 AM

The Torre del Oro (English: "Tower of Gold") is a dodecagonal military watchtower in Seville, southern Spain, built by the Almohad dynasty in order to control access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river.

Constructed in the first third of the 13th century, the tower served as a prison during the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the golden shine it projected on the river, due to its building materials (a mixture of mortar, lime and pressed hay).

The tower is divided into three levels, with the third and uppermost being circular in shape and added in 1769. The Torre de la Plata, an octagonal tower, is nearby and is believed to be built in the same era.

On August 13, 1992, the Torre del Oro was made a brother to the Tower of Belem of Lisbon to celebrate the Universal Exposition in Seville. As of 2008 the museum displayed a variety of old navigational instruments and models, as well as historical documents, engravings, and nautical charts, relating Seville to the Guadalquivir River and the sea. The tower was again restored in 2005.

Sevilla - View from Puente de San Telmo by cinxxx, on Flickr

Sevilla - Historic Center by cinxxx, on Flickr

Sevilla - Torre del Oro by cinxxx, on Flickr

CinX · January 10, 2016, 12:52:21 AM

Sevilla - Archivo de Indias and Catedral de Sevilla by cinxxx, on Flickr

Sevilla - Real Alcázar by cinxxx, on Flickr

CinX · January 10, 2016, 12:58:18 AM

The Alcázar of Seville (Spanish "Reales Alcázares de Sevilla" or "Royal Alcazars of Seville", (Spanish pronunciation: [alˈkaθar])) is a royal palace in Seville, Spain, originally developed by Moorish Muslim kings. The palace is renowned as one of the most beautiful in Spain, being regarded as one of the most outstanding examples of mudéjar architecture found on the Iberian Peninsula. The upper levels of the Alcázar are still used by the royal family as the official Seville residence and are administered by the Patrimonio Nacional. It is the oldest royal palace still in use in Europe, and was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the Seville Cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies.

Sevilla - Real Alcázar by cinxxx, on Flickr

CinX · January 10, 2016, 01:01:59 AM

Sevilla - Real Alcázar by cinxxx, on Flickr

CinX · January 12, 2016, 12:50:59 AM

All the palaces of Al Andalus had garden orchards with fruit trees, horticultural produce and a wide variety of fragrant flowers. The garden-orchards not only supplied food for the palace residents but had the aesthetic function of bringing pleasure. Water was ever present in the form of irrigation channels, runnels, jets, ponds and pools.

The gardens adjoining the Alcázar of Seville have undergone many changes. In the 16th century during the reign of Philip III the Italian designer Vermondo Resta introduced the Italian Mannerist style. Resta was responsible for the Galeria de Grutesco (Grotto Gallery) transforming the old Muslim wall into a loggia from which to admire the view of the palace gardens.

Sevilla - Real Alcázar by cinxxx, on Flickr