The Alcazar is considered the oldest civil construction in Seville and the oldest royal palace in Europe, having been the royal residence of the Spanish monarchy since 1248 and the Muslim aristocracy before that.

The name comes from the Arabic word Al Qsar, which means fort. It was constructed with a protective wall, partly connected to the roman walls on Calle San Fernando. The Alcazar is a mixture of architectural styles. Over the course of its 1290 years of existence, the palace has had various additions and remodeling in Roman, Arabic, Mudejar, Gothic, and Renaissance styles.

In the X century it was home to the governor that occupied the Banu-Hachad and the Abaditas in the XI century. It was home to the poet king Al Mutamid, who was defeated by the Almorávides in the year 1091 and banished to Morocco.

With the Almohádes, during the XII y XIII centuries, Seville became the capital of the new Magrebí Empire and they left their mark with the construction of what is today known as the Patio del Yeso; the last remnant of the Almohade palace.

After the conquest of the city by the Christians, Fernando III and later Alfonso X made it an official royal residence. In the XIV century the court was brought to Seville by Pedro I and the Mudéjar palace was built. It is considered the most beautiful of the palaces of the Alcazar and a masterful example of Mudéjar artistry.

In the year 1492, after the conquest of Granada and the definitive expulsion of the Arabs, the defensive aspect of the palace ceased to be necessary. After the conquest, the court was moved to Toledo and then later to Madrid. It was only with the arrival of the Borbones that Seville once again became the capital, although only for 5 years during the rule of King Felipe V in 1715.

Because of the relocation of the royal court, the Alcazar began seceding parts of its surrounding land to the expansion of the city. In the XVI century it gave space to the construction of the Maese Rodrigo University in the Puerta de Jerez (Seville’s first university). Later, the space for the Casa de la Contratación (which still conserves part of an interior patio that was originally part of the Alcazar), the Cabildo (ancient site of the Museum of Contemporary Art, and Calle San Fernando were all seceded to the city and left the Alcazar in its current form. The ancient wall which used to stretch all the way to the Torre del Oro began to deteriorate and fall in the XVIII century,    

In 1931, with the arrival of the Republic, the custodianship of the Alcazar was passed to the City Hall which, in conjunction with the “Patrimonio Nacional”, is responsible for the conservation and caretaking of the Royal Lodgings located on the first floor of the Palace of King Pedro.

Among the things of special interest in the Alcazar are: the entryway of the Medéjar palace of King Pedro I (among the best examples of that type of architecture in Granada, Toledo, and Seville), the Patio of the Dolls (around which are the private abodes of the palace), the Patio of the Damsels (restored to its original beauty), the Hall of Ambassadors (with a splendid dome), the dining hall of Carlos V and of course, the expansive gardens.