The Artistic Form of the Muslim Alhambra in Granada and its Transformation in the Christian Alcázar of Sevilla

The Alhambra and the Alcázar are two outstanding ensembles of royal residences in southern Spain that have virtually no equivalents in European culture. Their uniqueness lies in a distinctive artistic language that cannot be reduced either to Western European or to Eastern architectural traditions. The Alhambra in Granada represents a brilliant example of Hispano-Muslim art of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, whereas the Alcázar of Seville is one of the earliest examples of a Christian royal residence built in the same period in the Mudéjar style, an original artistic current that emerged during the flourishing of medieval Spain. The article examines the transformation of palace architecture in the transition from one cultural tradition another and identifies the criteria underlying the synthesis of architectural forms and decorative arts. It demonstrates that such processes led to the emergence of new tendencies in the architectural language of the Spanish Mediterranean. The aim of the study is to analyze the specificity of spatial organization and ornamental decoration in the Moorish palaces of Mexuar, Comares, and the Palace of the Lions, in comparison with the Christian palace of Pedro I the Cruel in the Alcázar of Seville. Using a comparative method, the study establishes a typology of spatial organization in individual architectural elements of these complexes and reveals the mechanisms behind the formation of a new artistic language. Particular attention is given to architectural decoration — stucco carving, ceramic revetments, and ceiling structures — where the principal expressive repertoire of national form is concentrated and where the criteria of intercultural artistic syncretism become most evident.

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