An Islamicate History of the Alcazar of Seville: Mudejar Architecture and Andalusi Shared Culture (1252-1369 CE)

A shared Islamicate culture, independent of political or religious affiliations, coexisted among Castilian Christians, Muslims, and Jews in al-Andalus during the 13th and 14th centuries. This cultural synthesis explains the widespread use of Mudejar architecture, including in the Alcazar of Seville's Sala de la Justicia and later expansions by Pedro I, which mirrored designs from the Alhambra of Granada. The study reinterprets these constructions through a lens of cultural history, revealing that non-Muslims adopted Islamicate design elements—such as Arabic inscriptions and stylistic motifs—for symbolic or aesthetic purposes, rather than religious ones. This challenges traditional narratives of the Reconquista by highlighting a cosmopolitan visual language that transcended confessional boundaries.

Sullivan, J. (2018). An Islamicate History of the Alcazar of Seville: Mudejar Architecture and Andalusi Shared Culture (1252-1369 CE) [Georgia State University]. https://doi.org/10.57709/12242285