The Alcázar is the oldest palace in Europe that is still used today. Spain’s royal family uses the upper levels of the palace whenever they stay in Sevilla. It was originally a Moorish fort built by the Almohades in the 1100s-1200s. The Alcázar architecture reflects the Almohades’ Muslim faith in much of the rooms and designs through out the complex. From what I learned from my visit, the Muslim architects do not use people or animals in their designs. Instead, they use flowers, geometrical designs, and astronomy, and prayer inscriptions. As a result, every building and room possessed ornate, intricate, and dazzling designs such as these. In most rooms the ceilings were far more interesting than the walls.