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Learn Spanish in Spain, Seville

Seville’s Giralda.

Each city has its own icons: Madrid’s Prado Museum, Barcelona’s Sagrada Familia or Granada’s Alhambra, London’s Big Ben, Paris’ Eiffel tower, New York’s Liberty Statue and, of course Seville’s Giralda.

This singular XII century Islamic tower or minaret is not only an icon for Seville, but also an icon and constant reference in Spanish folklore and popular imagery. From the top of the Giralda you have the best view of the city of Seville: The Alcazar and its exuberant gardens planted with slim palm trees, always reminding us of the close link between Seville and northern Africa; a link that goes beyond similar colours and sky but is also a common attitude towards life.

From the top of the Giralda you can also contemplate the mythic Bullring of Seville, Maria Luisa Park, Murillo’s Gardens, Plaza de España, the Guadalquivir River, bridges and the plateresque Town Hall as well as uncountable small mudejar towers, minarets and baroque domes that make up the sky line of Seville.

The Giralda of Seville was built as a minaret for the mosque between 1184 and 1198 by Ahmed Ben Baso, who also built the other twin minarets in the North of Africa, especially in the Zagreb region: the Kutubia in Marrakech, the Hassan tower in Rabat and the Masuriah of Tremecen. They are the three Giraldas on the other side of the Mediterranean.

This 76 meter high minaret was crowned with four large golden spheres which were said to be visible from more than 40 km away. The Giralda was such an admired building that when the Moslems surrendered the city, they asked for permission to destroy the tower, and Prince Don Alfonso replied with a sentence, which has already become famous in History, ‘If only one brick were removed from the tower they would all be stabbed to death’.

The foundation of the Giralda, which goes underground fifteen meters was built with Roman remains from Itálica, the Roman city 14 kilometres from Seville. The tower itself is made of bricks and as decoration there are four large sets of sebka motives (sculpted bricks).

In order to admire the views of the city from the top of this impressive minaret, 35 ramps (rather than steps) have to be climbed. The reason was so that the muezzin (in charge of calling the people to prayer) could climb to the top on his horse.
The second important moment of the Giralda of Seville happened between 1558 and 1568. As the city became wealthy with the gold brought from America, the church authorities decided to build a new top as a symbol of Christian power.

Therefore a Renaissance style belfry was added to the Islamic body, thereby the Giralda reached 93 meters. The Córdoba architect Hernán Ruiz II el Joven was in charge of the reform. After this transformation the Giraldillo was added, a weather vane in the shape of a woman, representing the triumph of faith.

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- On Sundays: from 14.30 to 18.00
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