- Alcázar
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/al"keuh zahr', al kaz"euhr/; Sp. /ahl kah"thahrdd/, n.1. the palace of the Moorish kings in Seville, Spain: later used by Spanish kings.2. (l.c.) a castle or fortress of the Spanish Moors.[ < Sp < Ar al the + qasr < L castrum CASTLE, stronghold]
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Form of military architecture of medieval Spain, generally rectangular with defensible walls and massive corner towers.Inside was an open space (patio) surrounded by chapels, salons, hospitals, and sometimes gardens. The finest surviving example from the Moorish period is Sevilla's Alcázar Palace; begun in 1181 under the Almohads and continued by the Christians, it exhibits both Moorish and Gothic features, including a decagonal brick tower, the Torre del Oro.
Toledo alcázar, 14th century, renovated 16th century, severely damaged during the ...Alfonso GutierrezEscera* * *
▪ Spanish fortressSpanish alcázarany of a class of fortified structures built in the 14th and 15th centuries in Spain. (The term is derived from the Arabic word al-qaṣr, meaning “castle,” or “fortress.”) As the Spanish efforts to drive out the Moors became more strenuous, the dual need for fortification and an imposing edifice became increasingly apparent. In form, an alcazar is generally rectangular with easily defensible walls and massive corner towers.Inside the alcazar was a large open space (patio) surrounded by chapels, salons, hospitals, and sometimes gardens. Alcazars were built at Segovia (14th century) and at Toledo (14th century, renovated 16th century), but the best known is the alcazar at Sevilla (Seville); its walls were erected in 1364.* * *
Universalium. 2010.
