Seville: An Ancient City That Is More Than Stunning

For me, to describe the beauty of Seville with the word “stunning” is not enough anymore. In my opinion, it is a world of legends.

A multicultural city’s influence cannot be contributed by one human race. In the Medieval Period, when the Berbers from North Africa established the Almohad Caliphate, the culture of Muslim has left a deep print on the land of Seville.

As the capital of Spain’s Andalusia Region, Seville represents a typical Southern European style. The difference between the south and north of Europe is obvious: those who live in the south have darker skin and their hair and eyeballs appear darker, but they seem to be more open-minded.

Seville and the Andalusia Region are two of the most popular tourist attractions for European tourists. Germans and Swedes from the north love visiting this area very much because of the warm sunshine of the Mediterranean Sea. In history, Spanish and Northwestern African Moors battled each other, only aiming to win the rights of ruling the city. This sounds brutal but reflects the charm of Seville.

Pension Alcazar is one of the oldest imperial palaces in Europe, and has now been chosen as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The palace was constructed in 1181, and had been rebuilt 500 years after its construction. It has long been regarded as the history of Muslim and Catholic palaces, and that’s why it demonstrates different cultures and styles. Even today, the upper floors of Pension Alcazar are still used as the official assembly area of the Spanish royal families. In addition to Muslim and Catholicism, the history of Seville is still influenced by Christianity.

What makes this city known to the whole world is Carmen, an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. The heroine, Carmen, is the typical representative of the passionate and romantic people living in the city.

Although Seville is a coastal city, it has always been one of the crossroads of the world. Those from east and west, from Europe and Africa, or from new world and old world, all have visited this area to communicate, fight or trade. After Spanish troops reoccupied this land from the hands of the Moors, it has turned into an important foreign trade center of Spain. In fact, Christopher Columbus’s navigation venture also started off in this city.