Sevilla - Experiencia Andalusí

Sevilla

Un recorrido de ensueño a través del Wad al-Kabir, el "río grande"

The province of Seville has deep historical and cultural roots in which the Andalusi past holds a privileged place. For more than five centuries, the present-day territory of Seville was part of al-Andalus, playing for much of this period a unique role within its political structure, social organization, and economic development. Five centuries that helped shape rural landscapes and urban centers. Models that have endured over time to the present day, making Seville a province rich in contrasts and diversity.

You will find a clear example of the influence of Arabic in its history in the abundance of place names of its towns and cities. From the Andalusi period, it preserves an extensive vocabulary sprinkled with many words that gradually evolved into Spanish. Even the name of the most important river in southern Spain, which runs through the city and the province of Seville—in Arabic Wad al-Kabir, translated as “the Great River”—eventually evolved into its current name, Guadalquivir.

The province of Seville stood out, and still stands out, in the production of leather goods: from clothing —belts, bags, or shoes— to items used for agricultural work such as horse saddles or the macacos used for harvesting olives. The fame of the Andalusis as artisans was reflected in the production of luxury objects, goldsmithing, mosaics, ceramics, and woodwork, as well as work with materials like glass and paper. A tradition of craftsmanship that you can still discover today in some towns of Seville.

Medinas

Gastronomy

Water

Architecture

Medinas

Gastronomy

Water

Architecture

The legacy of the Andalusi period in the province of Seville finds one of its main expressions in architecture: civil and religious buildings, walled enclosures, defensive fortifications, alcazabas and castles, towers, alcázares, unique buildings devoted to trade (almonedas) and crafts, minarets, and mosques later converted into Christian churches, adapting these constructions to the urban layout with its winding narrow streets and lively small squares.

All of this came with the contribution of decorative elements, colors, materials, and techniques in their interiors that make many spaces seem magical and unique to the visitor’s eye. Games of light and shadow through arches and stained glass, the soft murmur of fountains, plants that bring greenery and freshness to Sevillian courtyards and gardens, and coffered ceilings that seem to have been created by goldsmiths.

The province preserves true architectural masterpieces that today house important religious devotions and have become landmark monuments in towns across Seville.

MEDINAS

Between 712 and 1248, the years that mark its Andalusi stage, and for much of this period, Seville (Isbiliya in Arabic) stood out as a permanent cultural center and regional economic power.

Around Seville, during the Almoravid period (1091–1146), new urban centers developed or pre-existing cities were consolidated, a process usually accompanied by the construction of powerful walled enclosures: Aznalcázar, Sanlúcar la Mayor, Alcalá del Río, Alcalá de Guadaíra, Écija, Marchena… These are some examples of the creation of a “fortified territory,” typical of a society in which the threat of conquest by the feudal kingdoms of the northern peninsula was becoming ever more imminent.

The medina, the Islamic city, always had the same layout: labyrinthine streets full of life and activity that also helped confuse the enemy in case of invasion; a central area for the market, workshops, the seat of government, and the main mosque; a fortress; and the complete walled enclosure to prevent invasions. These features are still easy to recognize today in the urban centers of those Sevillian towns that were once Andalusi medinas.

WATER

In the province of Seville, during the period of al-Andalus, water was essential, both for agriculture and daily life. It was used to irrigate crops, supply cities, hygiene, decoration, and religious rituals. Water management, including the construction of irrigation channels, waterwheels, mills, fountains, and cisterns, was crucial for the development of the populations of the time and for today’s municipalities, creating a unique architecture.

The Guadalquivir was the meeting point for the southern territories and the caliphal capitals: Córdoba and Seville. As the main economic artery of the territory, it allowed diverse uses. Navigable up to Seville by larger vessels and up to Córdoba by smaller ones, it served as a route for both external and internal trade, connecting these two capitals with the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. This made it an essential route, not only for the transport of goods but also of travelers, enriching the province culturally.

The river itself was used as the driving force for mills, for grinding grain, creating a strong bread-making and textile industry. Near its mouth, the extensive pastures of the marshlands became centers of livestock farming and transhumance, even facilitating exchanges with the Christian north.

As the Sevillian chronicler Alonso Morgado highlighted, praising its grandeur, the Guadalquivir River is “Where the waters of Andalusia come together.” Its importance in the province of Seville can be seen in the names of some municipalities that add “del Río” (of the river) to their main name: Alcalá del Río, Lora del Río, Coria del Río, La Puebla del Río, Palomares del Río, Villanueva del Río y Minas, Alcolea del Río, and Villaverde del Río.

Gastronomy

The Andalusi culinary heritage in the province of Seville is considerable, including ingredients, cooking techniques, and dishes that have endured to the present day.

Andalusi cuisine introduced ingredients such as citrus fruits—mainly orange and pomegranate—vegetables and greens—cucumbers, pumpkins, eggplants, spinach, and artichokes—or aromatic herbs—cilantro and basil among others—which form the basis of what we still find today on the tables of Sevillian homes and restaurants. Also, the combination of spices: saffron and cumin, nuts like pistachios, and the preparation of sweet-and-sour dishes. Rice as an irrigated crop, and wheat and barley as dryland crops, became widespread during the Andalusi period.

Vegetables and greens were eaten as main dishes or as accompaniments, boiled or in salads. Such is the case with harira, with legume soups made with lentils or chickpeas, or recipes with meat and pasta (fideos) of Amazigh origin.
Today Seville is the leading producer of sweet oranges in Spain, the top citrus-producing country in the European Union.

Andalusi olive oil, exported from the Aljarafe or La Campiña, regained during Almohad times an importance it had not had since the High Roman Empire. Today, the properties of Sevillian olive oil are undeniable, making it one of the most prestigious food products at both national and international levels.

Recipes such as alboronía, or boronía, with deep tradition in Carmona —a forerunner of pisto, consisting basically of a vegetable stir-fry in olive oil— are inherited from al-Andalus. Later, with the arrival of new ingredients from the Americas, some of these recipes continued to evolve and expand. This was the case with the original Andalusi gazpacho—of course, without tomato or pepper—directly descended from the cold soups made in caliphal Córdoba, and the forerunner of today’s gazpacho and salmorejo, so essential on our menus, especially in summertime. Gachas and migas were two very common preparations, made with leftovers from previous days mixed with flour or bread.

Sweets such as nougat, marzipan, fritters, pestiños, and alfajores are delicious examples of the rich tradition of Andalusi desserts. Specialties that are still made today following traditional recipes and that play an important role during special times of the year such as Lent or Christmas.

We must not forget the stews of game meats cooked with honey and spices, or one of Seville’s culinary hallmarks, known both nationally and internationally: fried fish. Nor the cultivation of vineyards, which gave rise to the wineries still spread throughout the province of Seville. Grapes were only used as food, eaten as fruit or for making sweets.

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