The simplest explanation is that Carmona’s Alcazar was built by the Arabs ( (Alcazar de la Puerta de Sevilla)
The simplest explanation is that Carmona’s Alcazar was built by the Arabs (well, technically by the Moors) but that’s only part of a much longer story. The lowest level of this fortified palace/gateway dates back to 7th Century BC, when Phoenicians from Tyre arrived during a period of expansion that included the founding of the cities of Cadiz and Carthage. Using massive sandstone blocks that reminded me of walking around places like Batroun, in northern Lebanon, they must have built some kind of defensive structure, because when the Romans took Carmona 600 years later, the townspeople holed up and only surrendered after a prolonged siege. Having learned the hard way, the Romans massively increased Carmona’s fortifications, throwing a wall around the entire city. Today, only a few traces remain, amongst them the Puerta de Cordoba and the second round arched gate you can see in the photo above, just behind the Moorish gate. The Moors stayed for around 400 years, until 1247, when Carmona was taken during the Reconquista. Of them, almost less is left than of the Romans. The mosque was replaced with the Santa Maria church (although one courtyard was preserved) and the market and the baths mentioned by Arab geographer al-Himyari have vanished. Ironically, for a town that changed so much, so many times, modern Carmona feels frozen in time, a postcard pretty city that for many, is the quintessential Spanish town.
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