Menatalla Alshourbagy
Pronouns: She/Her
Research Mentor(s): Elizabeth Trinh
Research Mentor School/College/Department: Management and Organizations / Business
Program: UROPF
Session: Session 2 (10:00am – 10:50am)
Authors:
Abstract
The Alcazar Royal Palace in Seville, Spain, is a site of extraordinary architecture that integrates Arabic phrases in the decoration of its walls. Built in multiple stages by Muslims and then Christians, the site was greatly expanded after the Christian conquest of the city in 1248. Christian kings, interested in the architecture of the Alhambra palace in Granada (finished in the fourteenth century), chose to continue using Arabic to decorate their own palace in Seville. What is intriguing about the Alcazar today is the lack of a definitive catalog that lists and maps the inscriptions that were added to the palace during the reign of Christian King Don Pedro I of Castile (d. 1369). What makes this project feasible is the realization that the majority of the phrases in Pedro’s palace are repeated over and over again; this means there are only a few dozen phrases to transcribe, translate, and map. Important literary works used to add context to the inscriptions include The Arts of Intimacy: Christians, Jews, and Muslims in the Making of Castilian Culture as well as Inscripciones a´rabes de Sevilla, which quickly became a solid base of reference to begin the research process. In order to develop a spatial understanding of the Alcazar, the study uses 360° views and a variety of floor maps to accurately document information about the inscriptions which can then be transcribed and translated, as well as the different names the rooms of Pedro’s palace have had over time. Once fully developed, the produced catalog would be a comprehensive guide to reading the writing on the walls of the Alcazar.
