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| The Giralda |
The cathedral's minaret was the culmination of Almohad architecture and served as a model for those at their imperial capitals of Rabat and Marrakesh.
It was used by the Moors both for calling the faithful to prayer (the traditional function of a minaret) and as an observatory, and was so venerated that they wanted to destroy it before the Christian conquest of the city. This they were prevented from doing by the threat of the King Alfonso X that 'if they removed a single stone, they would all be put the sword'.
The Giralda is one of the most magnificent buildings in Seville and dominates the skyline. You can ascend to the bell chamber for a remarkable view of the city, and equally remarkable, a glimpse of the Gothic details of the cathedral's buttresses and statuary. The most impressive of all is the tower's inner construction, series of 35 gently inclining ramps wide enough to allow the passage of two mounted guards.
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The Moorish structure took twelve years to construct and derives its firm, simply beauty from the shadows formed by blocks of brick trellis work, different on each side, and relieved by a succession of arched niches and windows. The original harmony has been somewhat spoiled by the Renaissance addition of balconies and, to a great extent, by the four diminishing storeys of the belfry added in the mid sixteenth century, following the demolition by an earthquake of the original copper sphere.
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