The Seductive City of Seville

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The white hot heat of the city leads all her inhabitants to seek out seductive shady spots for siestas. Cool stone buildings stand in the heat, the old city wound through by secret alleyways and dotted with alluring monuments of a bygone age. One can almost imagine really finding Doran Martell, from George R. R. Martin and HBO's 'Game of Thrones' lounging in his pleasure gardens. Seville does indeed double for Dorne in the latest series that is currently airing. The passion of the Dornish is, it seems, also found in the real world of Seville. This is a complex city, composed of dark and light in almost equal measure and all the more intoxicating for that dichotomy. Seville is a dance - Seville is the Flamenco, with more than a hint of sex and death beneath the beauty. This is a city of beautiful girls and bloody bullfighting, of oranges, aircraft construction and shipbuilding. There is a thriving tourist industry here and yet the city retains its distinctive Andalusian character.
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This elegant, fiery city's heart lies in the old city which lounges on the east bank of the Guadalquivir. Here you will find three of the city's main attractions, the Giralda Tower, the Catedral and the Alcázar. These three historical monuments enliven the city with their beautiful architecture and attractive appearance. Beyond these, to the east you will find the old Jewish area, Barrio Santa Cruz, which is the epicentre of tourism in Seville.

The Alcázar is one of the best surviving examples of Mudéjar architecture, a great palace which has had numerous additions and renovations over the years but which retains as its core the place built in the reign of Pedro I, who was known both as 'the Just' and 'the Cruel'. These monikers seem fitting in this city of duality and extremes. This is also where scenes were filmed for 'Game of Thrones' - this monument doubles for the Water Gardens of Dorne.

The Catedral was completed in just over a century, between 1402 and 1506. This was quite a feat since this is the largest Gothic cathedral in the world based on cubic measurement according to the Guinness Book of Records. As well as the awe-inspiring architecture, here you will also find the Tomb of Christopher Columbus, where his remains may or may not be housed. The Catedral was built on the site of the Almohad mosque.

The Giralda tower was once the minaret of the Almohad mosque and is undoubtedly the most beautiful building in the city. It has been embellished with Christian additions but still retains much of the form and decoration that made this such an important and admired site in the Islamic world. It was so much admired in its day that copies were made of the minaret for mosques in Rabat and Marrakech.

Seville's long and interesting history has made it the complex place that it is today. Come, and let it seduce you too with its myriad treasures hidden amid sunlight and shadows.