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| Courtyard of the Maidens in the Alcazar |
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 Seville
We toured the various areas of the Alcazar – we entered through the Lion’s Gate and walked through the Lion Courtyard and the Patio de la Monteria – the place
where they gathered for hunting expeditions. We stopped for a while to speak about the facade of the palace of King Pedro I and the interesting tiles mixing the Muslim and the Christian styles. We then entered the entrance hall and walked to the Courtyard of the Maidens.
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| Courtyard of the Maidens |
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| Double levels of colonnaded walkways around the Courtyard of the Maidens |
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| Detail of the plaster carvings with Islamic script and embellishments of natural elements |
The Courtyard of the Maidens was accessible to guests on the ground floor and was used as a reception location. This is the palace's main courtyard and it
contains a large pool surrounded by beautiful gardens, as well as exquisitely
carved wooden doors and arches. It owes its name to the legend that all Christian kingdoms were obligated to pay 100 virgins in tribute every year to the Moors.
From there we went through the Courtyard of the Dolls, which was the entrance to the private living quarters. its name is historic - and it's speculated that either little children played there, as it as located in the private residence, or for the little girl (or doll) face carvings under some of the arches.
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| The Courtyard of the Dolls is the entrance to the private quarters for the royal family |
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| Courtyard of the Dolls, with screened second balcony windows, for the women of the palace to be hidden behind |
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| Three levels in the Courtyard of the Dolls and the covered ceiling |
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| Plaster details in the archways |
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| Beautiful Moorish designs |
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| Ceiling of the Courtyard of the Dolls |
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| Beautiful Islamic tile patterns line the walls |
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