Moorish Architecture

Although the remains of Roman settlements, in the form of Roman baths with their aqueducts and popular mosaic designs, undoubtedly exist in Andalucía it was not until the Arab occupation of the peninsula that any real development occurred. The Moors came from the Middle East and the design of their settlements was similar to this area, houses had gentle sloping roofs and were built close together to give protection from the sun, as can be seen in many of the white villages of Andalucia.

Arab Castle in Màlaga

Most Moorish buildings are made from modest materials such as clay and stone, but the lower parts of the walls are often decorated with azulejos, which are multi-coloured geometric patterns made from stones, although as time has passed these have been replaced with tiles.

One of the main features of Moorish architecture is the consistent use of arches in many of the most important buildings. The Mezquita in Córdoba and Alhambra Palace in Granada feature this style. Arab arches built during the Caliphal era (when Arab rulers in Andalucía decided to have their own Caliph) were built in a horseshoe design, with bricks and stone laid alternately within the arch and giving it a striped pattern. As time went by the horseshoe shape made way for intricate arches that curved to a point.

These palaces also include many fountains and gardens and part of the reason for this is that they were symbolic of the fertilitiy of the land. Beautiful gardens in the Middle East are also a display of wealth, since to maintain them in a country where water is short costs a considerable amount of water and money.

Another feature of Moorish architecture are the domes which top the Mosques. The highest part of the building, they look plain and unadorned from the outside, but on the inside they are almost always intricately finished with mosaics and murals.

Post-Moorish Architecture

The Christians re-conquered the peninsula in the 15th century and set about removing many of the Arab buildings, converting the mosques into Christian churches by adding the steeples, arches and bell towers of Northern European Gothic styles. The intermingled styles of Islamic and Christian led to the creation of a style called Mudejar. Some of the best examples of this can be seen in the Mezquita in Córdoba where the Arab Minaret has been replaced by a Christian bell tower. Also many parts of the original mosque have been destroyed to make way for the interior Christian cathedral.

The Spanish Renaissance began during the 16th century and initiated a period which was known as Plateresque, so called because the detail of engravings on buildings resembled that of ornate silver work. The best examples of this style can be found on the Town Hall in Seville . During the 17th and 18th century the major style was Baroque. Baroque is a very ornate style comprising many pillars and stone carvings. Many of the older buildings were given a new Baroque façade to make them appear more ornate.