I visited this world heritage site on March of 2025. Well technically I had already been, but it was so long ago I barely had memories about it and I crucially didn't go to the alcazar. 

So after reading extensively about Islamic architecture I decided it was time to re-visit the city. 

The world heritage site itself is a bit weird. It comprises three buildings built in different time periods for very distinct reasons. Their main point of connection is that they're right in front of each other. 

The archive of indias is a rather nice stopover. There's actually not much to see, just a rather fine 16th century Renaissance building with some delicatelt sculpted ceilings. It used to be the "lonja" of Seville. What's actually renowned is what's inside. Almost all information related to the spanish colonies is stored in this archive. It was moved here in the 18th century from several other archives in the kingdom. Nowadays you can see some rather important documents in the visit, like the ones related to the first circumnavigation of the globe. I personaly fail to see the OUV of this building. The documents themselves are amazing but they do not count and the building itself, though a shining example of Spanish Renaissance is not truly outstanding. It left me questioning how exactly did it get in the list. 

The cathedral of Seville is above all renknowned for two things: it's huge bell tower (La giralda) and it's insane proportions. The cathedral is the largest gothic temple in existence. it was built in the 15th century in 100 years or so, which is pretty remarkable. The reason for its gargantuan size is that it largely reutilized the old almohad mosque plan, which was huge. The interior is honestly a bit bare, and it's more interesting from a technical pov than an artistic one. This was probably at the limit of what the Gothic could achieve. Not for nothing the cimborrio has fallen twice since its construction. it's about as impressive as it is demetial. The church has 7 naves plus added chapels and the main nave goes up 36m. The windows are rather small for the church and as such It feels a bit like a huge cavern. Right in the middle there's the chorus, and more crucially the altar piece, which is allegedly the largest in Christiandom. Overall I think the builders bit more than they could chew with this cathedral. Much of the space is left unused because of its awkward proportions. The only part of the church that feels "purposefully done" is the transept. Overall I think the cathedral of Burgos is better.

La giralda consists of an early almohad Minaret and some later Renaissance additions. It is the best example of almohad architecture in Spain and one of the most beautiful (and largest) minarets I've seen. You can go up through a ramp and the price is worth it if only because you get to see the almohad columns from close up and great views of the cathedral itself. One added point, the doors of la puerta del perdon are almohad originals, so take a close look when you visit.

The alcazar of Seville is a palace complex with a long and complex history. It was first founded by the taifa of Seville, though afaik the oldest remains you can see are from the almohad period. The patio de yeso is absolutely delightful in its sebka curtains. But the alcazar is renknowned for its mudejar architecture. Particularly that of the hall of justice built by Alfonso XI and the palace of Pedro I (his son). At this time the castillian king opted out of following the standard European models for their palaces and instead looked towards the islamic world, creating palaces that combined aspects of both. The most interesting of these is without a doubt the palace of pedro I, because it is a completely original structure built by the king and a complete palace with several halls. Overall I would say the decoration falls a bit behind that of the largely coetaneous Alhambra, but there's a certain appeal in the interconnectedness of the palace. It makes for absolutely stunning inside vistas, something not to be seen in the Alhambra, more careful in terms of privacy. There's also a couple of palaces more, but I would say their highlight are the glorious glazed tiles, which were added, I think by Phillip II. The gardens looked really nice, but by then I was running out of time and I had to take my train.

While on Seville I deeply recommend seeing the casa de Pilatos, a nobiliary version of the palace of Pedro I. the city itself is also peppered with churches with glorious baroque altar pieces. The quarter of santa cruz is quite pintoresque (afterall it was kinda made for that) and the plaza de España is indeed stunning in the most romantic sense imaginable since neuschwanstein. Oh and to eat some tapas in the quarter of Triana. cheap and soooo good. 

Overall I fail to see what connects this buildings other than their spatial proximity and I think the Alcazar could have been it's own site. Furthermore I think some noble houses like casa de Pilatos should be part of the site. Alas I really liked the city and I can vouch it has quite a lot to see. I spent 3 days and I left many things unseen.