The Meaning Behind the Courtyard of the Maidens
How a beautiful courtyard in Seville’s Real Alcazar is a nod to the ancient practice of sacrificing virgins
In the heart of the Andalusian capital of Seville lies the Real Alcazar, the summer palace of Spanish rulers for the last 1500 years. Dating all the way back to the Middle Ages, the Alcazar has lasted through many different kings, wars, and occupations. One of the most famous features is the Courtyard of the Maidens, a rectangular pool in the center of the main hall surrounded by the upper royal apartments. Although meant to evoke feelings of contemplation and serenity, the meaning behind the name is much more sinister.
The story goes something like this: there once was a bastard named Mauregatus, born the illegitimate son of King Alfonso I, the Catholic and a Muslim slave. Hungry for power and revenge, he turns to King Abdul Rahman I for assistance. The rebellion a success, Maurie becomes king of Asturias in 783. But all that help comes at a steep price: in return Mauregatus has agreed to show his appreciation and subservience to Rahman’s authority by delivering 100 virgins to him annually in a sort of medieval Hunger Games. The virgins were to be half noble and half commoners, in order for Rahman to replenish his harem (as it is reported that he only enjoyed virgins as bedmates), force into servitude, or to sell as slaves.
Five years and 500 virgins later, Maurie is assassinated by his fellow noblemen for inflicting such a humiliating practice. Needless to say, the new king tries to placate the sultan with a financial arrangement. A battle ensues. Asturias wins and the payment is annulled, for now anyway. A few years later the beef is rehashed. The new emir Abderraman II demands the new Catholic ruler King Ramiro I to reinstate the virgins, of which he reluctantly agrees in order to avoid war. However, the noblemen are outraged. In retaliation, one district takes their seven maidens and delivers them to the emir, but only after they’ve cut off their left hands. That’s right: outraged at the thought of showing fealty to a Muslim king by surrendering their precious virigns, they instead chose to maim their own sisters and daughters as a fuck you to the man. Abderraman is outraged and refuses the virgins, demanding seven more be chosen. The shit hits the fan, and Ramiro is forced to declare war. In the end, the bad Muslims are defeated by the steadfast Catholics and everyone is happy converting to Catholicism. 500 years later the courtyard is constructed as a reminder of the fortitude of the Catholic faith and the wanton, vile Muslims that were defeated all those centuries ago.
A story so crazy that I just had to look it up. Turns out this never really happened, at least not on that scale anyway. Were Muslims rulers known for taking women into subservience? Yes, but so was everyone else. Spoils of war they call it. Were there several battles between the Muslims and Catholics? Undoubtedly. Were the key players real rulers of the time? Absolutely. In fact, King Abdul Rahman I fled his home at a very young age during the Abbasid Revolution with his brother, sisters, and young son. His brother was captured and beheaded right in front of him. He traveled alone and without any provisions across the Iberian Peninsula into Egypt, constantly under the threat of death from any other rulers who were threatened by his lineage. His entire family was all but wiped out of existence, and yet he eventually managed to regain control, reenforcing Muslim reign for another 700 years. The most surprising fact I learned was that during the Islamic expansion, Rahman’s regime practiced extraordinary religious tolerance, allowing Jews, Christians, and all other monotheistic religions to retain their faiths in exchange for annual taxation, a stark contrast to our Catholic Monarchs, Isabel and Ferd, and the well known Spanish Inquisition (in case you’re not familiar, they tortured and executed damn near everyone).
At the end of the day, this beautiful courtyard was added to the Alcazar as a shining beacon of Christianity and a reminder of the vile and disgusting practices of all other religions. I only find it so funny because, although embedded with many different cultural influences, the Alcazar is still one of the best preserved examples of Arab architecture and style from the Nasrid Dynasty. The courtyard and the surrounding buildings flow seamlessly to create a palace that is absolutely breathtaking and should be added to anyone’s bucket list, made even more interesting by the history behind the religious persecution and centuries old beef for power and glory. And so, should you ever find yourself standing at the edge of that long still pool, look down at your left hand and think about all the one handed virgins that came before you so that you could enjoy a shaded courtyard.