Hall of the Ambassadors and Game of Thrones Kingdom of Dorne

The ceiling of the Hall of Ambassadors, representing the heavens

Wednesday, October 30, 2019            Seville


We saw the stunning Hall of the Ambassadors, the Salon of the Lost Steps, The Hall of the Tapestries, and the Courtyards of the Crossing and the Flags. The most spectacular room is the Hall of the Ambassadors, with its gold dome representing the heavens. its walls are adorned with white, blue and gold colors and the gallery above has portraits of all of the Castilian kings.  The room has high balconies, where the king could look down on visitors and the balconies are supported by golden dragons.

The king's balcony, just under the domed representation of heaven and high above the commoners

Beautiful wood, plaster and tile work in gold, blue and white

Christian castles mingle with Islamic calligraphy

The rooms that house the tapestries are the most recently built in the Alcazar. The original Tapestries Hall was completely destroyed after the earthquake of Lisbon of 1755. The tapestries were also destroyed in an earthquake and these are an exact replica of the original "Conquest of Tunisia" commissioned originally by Carlos V after his victory in 1535. The reproductions were woven during the 18th century by the Royal Tapestry Factory of Santa Barbara.

Salon of Tapestries built during the reign of Carlos V in the 1500's

Scenes of the conquest of Tunisia by Carlos V in the 16th century

These are reproductions from the 18th century - the originals were lost in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake

Beautiful grotesque style tiles line the lower walls

The gardens of the Alcázar are famous for their terraces, with a multitude of orange and palm trees, and fountains and pavilions. The gardens were used as the Kingdom of Dorne's water gardens in the Game of Thrones series.

The gardens of the Alcazar are as large as the palace complex

These gardens were filmed in Game of Thrones as the water gardens of the Kingdom of Drone

Tiled benches in the gardens

The pool of Mercury (with the statue of Mercury in the center)

Even in November, flowers abound in the Alcazar gardens

Carved and painted plaster, and beautiful inlayed wood ceilings in the Gothic palace

Amazing tile patterns

The Courtyard of the Crossing, from the 13th century

The Apeadero, with amazing stone pavement flooring

The Patio de la Banderas (Courtyard of the Flags)

Bitter orange trees line the Courtyard of the Flags - our last place on the way out of the Alcazar