Everything about Alc Zar De Los Reyes Cristianos totally explained
The
Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Spanish for "Alcázar of the Christian Monarchs"), also known as the
Alcázar of Córdoba, is a medieval
Alcázar located in, next to the
Guadalquivir River and near the
Mezquita. The Alcázar takes its name from the
Reyes Cristianos or
Christian Monarchs:
Isabella of Castile and
Ferdinand II of Aragon. The
fortress served as one of their primary residences.
History
While the Alcázar displays
Islamic features, almost all of the structure was built under
Christian rule. Originally the
Visigoths had a fortress on the site. When the Visigoths fell to the
Umayyad conquest of Hispania, the
emirs of the
Umayyad Caliphate in
Damascus rebuilt the structure. The Umayyad's fell to the
Abbasid Caliphate and the surviving member of the Umayyad Dynasty,
Abd ar-Rahman I, fled to Córdoba. Abd ar-Rahman I's successors established the independent
Caliphate of Cordoba and used the Alcázar as their palace. During
Al-Andalus, the city flourished as an important political and cultural center while much of Europe was in the
Dark Age. The
Moors expanded the Alcázar to a very large compound with baths, gardens, and the largest library in the West.
Watermills on the nearby Guadalquivir powered water lifting to irrigate the extensive gardens. These mills ran until Queen Isabella complained that they made too much noise and kept her awake.
In 1236, Christian forces took Córdoba during the
Reconquista. In 1386,
Alfonso XI of Castile began building the present day structure on part of the site for the old fortress. Other parts of the Moorish Alcázar had been given as spoils to the bishop, nobles, and the
Order of Calatrava. When Boabdil refused to surrender his kingdom in 1489, the Christians launched an attack. Isabella and Ferdinand's campaign against Granada succeeded in 1492. The same year, the monarchs met
Christopher Columbus in the Alcázar as he prepared to take his first voyage to the
Americas.
The Alcázar served as a garrison for
Napoleon Bonaparte's troops in 1810. In 1821, the Alcázar became a prison. Finally, the Spanish government made the Alcázar a tourist attraction and national monument in the 1950s.
Structure and tourism
The Alcázar now serves an important tourist attraction. Many tourists visit the Arab baths, which were actually built under Alfonso XI. Likewise, the Moorish influenced gardens are actually 18th and 19th century constructions.
The Alcázar centers on the
Patio Morisco ("Courtyard of the
Moriscos"), another popular feature. Tourists may also climb two towers: the
Torre de los Leones ("Tower of the Lions) and the
Torre de Homenaje ("Tower of Homage"). The latter has
gothic features including an ogival ceiling.
A series of
Roman mosaics and a Roman sarcophagus are displayed in the Inquisition Tower.
Visiting Information
Entrance: Fee - 4€ (2€ to students with ID)
Further Information
Get more info on 'Alc Zar De Los Reyes Cristianos'.
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