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Andalucía (Andalusia)
Southern Spain had long been settled by Greeks, Phoenicians, and Carthaginians before the Romans established the province of Baetica in the 3rd century BC.  With the collapse of the empire, barbarians overran the peninsula.  A tribe known as the Vandals settled temporarily in Baetica, moving on to North Africa as the Visigoths consolidated control in the early 5th century AD.
Three centuries later, the process was reversed.  Arabs and Berbers from North Africa invaded Europe in 711, landing on the rock which still bears their leader's name: Gebel (Mount) Tariq — Gibraltar.  Their armies quickly conquered the Visigoth kingdom, and marched halfway to Paris before they were stopped by Charles Martel, Charlemagne's grandfather, in 732.
The Moors, as these Islamic invaders were known, called their conquered territories al-Andalus — "isle of the Vandals".		As Christians reconquered the peninsula, Andalusia came to refer only to the southern regions still under Muslim control.
The 11th-century collapse of the Caliphate of Cordoba led to the establishment of a number of successor states (taifas).  Unable or unwilling to work together, one by one they fell victim to the onslaught of the Christian crusades.  Granada, the last Islamic kingdom, held out until 1492.
After the reconquista, Muslims were forced to convert to Christianity or face exile.  Even so, the remaining moriscos were expelled from the kingdom in 1609.  Nevertheless, they left behind a rich and distinct legacy in Andalusia: besides Islamic architecture, arts, and sciences, Muslims introduced rice, lemons, oranges, olives, and grapes to Spain, as well as many Spanish words.

	Sevilla (Seville)

	A settlement has existed on the banks of the Guadalquivir since at least 2800 BC.  The Romans established the nearby town of Itálica — birthplace of future emperors Trajan and Hadrian — in 207 BC.
		Julius Caesar founded the Roman colonia of Hispalis in 45 BC.

"Yxvillia" (as it was known in Arabic) achieved prominence under the Moors, serving as capital of Al-Andalus until 716.

	Despite being sacked by the Vikings in 844, Seville eclipsed Cordoba in importance after the 11th-century collapse of the caliphate.
	Seville soon found itself under threat by Christian armies during the reconquista.  Sultan al-Mutamid turned to the warlike north-African Almoravid tribe for help in 1086.

They were followed in 1146 by another tribe, the Almohads, who made Seville their capital.

	After centuries of conflict, King Fernando III of Castile finally conquered Seville in 1248.
His son, Alfonso X, designated Seville a royal city five years later, and commissioned a Gothic palace next to the Muslim citadel.

	In 1356, an earthquake destroyed much of the city.		Pedro I rebuilt the palaces in the mudéjar style.
	The Reales Alcázares represent a remarkable fusion of Arab and Christian architecture.
Later rulers such as Charles V also added elements to the palace complex.

The Spanish royal family occasionally sleeps over at the palace to this day, making the Reales Alcázares the world's oldest royal residence still in use.

	After the earthquake, a new cathedral was built on the site of the former Great Mosque.  The plan was so enormous, its designers were convinced that, "when they see it, future generations will think that we were mad."

	Built between 1401 and 1519, it is the third largest cathedral in the world.

It is also the final resting place of Christopher Columbus.

Only St. Peter's (Rome) and St. Paul's (London) are larger.

	His remains were brought here from Cuba after Spain lost its last American colony in 1899.

	All that remains of the original mosque are its courtyard and minaret, known as La Giralda.

It was originally topped by a pinnacle of spheres.

Work began on the Muslim tower in 1184.

	Toppled by the 14th-century earthquake, they were replaced by a belfry and weather vane.

		Reached by a gently-sloping ramp, the belfry offers spectacular views of the city below.

	The discovery of America transformed Seville into one of the wealthiest cities in Europe.

	All goods bound for the Americas or the Philippines were required to first pass through Seville.
	The Casa de Contratación (chamber of commerce) was set up in 1503 to regulate trade with the colonies.
		It held a commercial monopoly from 1543 until 1680, when the port of Cadiz was granted a share of the action.

	Galleons laden with gold, silver, and other precious commodities arrived in Seville twice each year.
	Much of this wealth enriched local officials and merchants, financing numerous Renaissance palaces and Baroque churches.
		Seville became an artistic and cultural center, home to such painters as Diego de Velázquez.

	Seville hosted a world's fair, the so-called Ibero-American Exposition, in 1929.

It was held in the former gardens of the Palacio San Telmo.

Princess María Luisa donated this land to the city in 1893.

	Expo 92 was held on an island in the river in 1992.
It marked the 500th anniversary of Columbus' first voyage.

	Today Seville is Spain's fourth-largest city, and capital of the Andalusia region — the Comunidad Autónoma Andaluza.

Practical Information

We stayed in Seville for two nights in early February 2004.

• Hotels: the Hesperia Porta Coeli, located a short walk from the city center, is relatively inexpensive, with Islamic-style furniture in the rooms, but it does not offer a free breakfast buffet
• Restaurants: We ate at a nice Chinese restaurant near the hotel one night, but settled for American fast food (KFC) the second
• Transportation: Seville hasn't finished building its metro, so we did a lot of walking ...

This page was first published 21 June 2004, and last updated 08 March 2005.