Almohad Architecture: Mosques, Minarets, and Palaces
Almohad Architecture in Al-Andalus
The Giralda of Seville
The Giralda of Seville, originally the minaret of the Almohad mosque, was crowned by Hernan Ruiz with a weathervane and a statue of Faith, known as Giraldina. The external structure rises in a series of seven superimposed levels, with openings alternating different types of arches: lobed, horseshoe, with lambrequins, and geminate. The balustrades were added later. The four top openings are flanked by sebka panels at two levels, starting from the keystones of the poly-lobed arches, supported on marble columns. The capitals are reused from Madinat Al-Zahara. The gallery features interlocking lobed arches. Green ceramic elements (medallions) were added later.
Minaret of the Qutubiyya
The Minaret of the Qutubiyya in Marrakesh serves as a valuable source of information, as it retains its original structure. It is built of masonry and has three levels plus the finial. It features horseshoe arches that shelter túmidos arches with an alfiz. All faces are different. It has mullioned windows and a gallery of blind arches. The finial has stepped battlements, domes, and a yamur with spheres. Ceramic is incorporated as part of the architectural decoration. There are sebka panels in the upper sections. This is a tower-within-a-tower type.
Minaret of Hassan
The Minaret of Hassan in Rabat was not completed, so it lacks the upper body. It is the largest tower in terms of its base. This is a tower-within-a-tower type. It is made of masonry. The intrados of the lobed arches are angrelado. Sebka panels emerge from the keystones of the arches.
Religious Architecture in Al-Andalus
A smaller rural mosque, now a chapel, known as the Cuatrovitas Mosque in Bollullos de la Mitación, Seville, provides an example of religious architecture. It might have been linked to a summer residence or located at a strategic crossroads. The remains are inside the shrine, to which further elements were added. It consists of three aisles perpendicular to the qibla wall. There is no mihrab. The location was changed due to the leadership of the Christian churches. A porch and two naves were added. Horseshoe arches are framed by pillars. The current roof is flat and made of wood, replacing what could have been a coffered ceiling. On the outside, it retains the old minaret tower, which was later used by Christians. It is much less ambitious and less elevated. It is made of brick and has no staircase. We see an overlap of openings in height. This is a tower-within-a-tower type. It is a replica of Almohad minarets, such as the one in Seville.
Civil Architecture
From 1172 onwards, we find palatine buildings, the residence of the caliph and the court. Existing palatine buildings, such as the castle or the Alcázar de la Bendición from the Taifa period, were used by Almohad rulers. Later, new ones were built within the grounds of the Alcázar Palace.
Almohad Areas
Patio del Yeso
The Patio del Yeso, now much restored, is linked to the late 12th and early 13th centuries. It is rectangular and narrow, with porches on the wider sides. It follows the model of a courtyard with a pool, consisting of a central canal and side frames. Behind them is a long room. Of the two porches, the most interesting is the south side, which is tripartite. In the center, we find lambrequin arches, which start from a snake-shaped base. In the spandrels, we see sebka panels. On the sides, the modules are repeated, creating symmetry. Three arches and sebka networks create a lacy effect.