Seville Spain Travel Tours Attractions - Things to Do in Seville Spain

• Rich history
• Historical landmarks
• Excellent museums
• Traditional restaurants
• Colorful shopping
• Lively nightlife

Legend has it that Seville was founded by Hercules, but according to historians the first city on the shores of the Guadalquivir River was named Ispal, later Hispalis by the Romans, and Ishbiliya after the Muslim conquest in the 700s. Under Arab rule, Seville entered an age of splendor, becoming one of the most powerful of the taifas (small kingdoms) in Islamic Spain. In the 12th century, the Moors, Muslims from North Africa, took over Muslim Spain and made Seville the capital of their kingdom.

Eventually the Moor power collapsed and Seville was incorporated into the kingdom of Castille under Ferdinand III in 1248. By the 14th century Seville was the most important Castilian city; after the discovery of the Americas, it became one of the main economic centers of the Spanish Empire. Seville quickly became a large, rich, and cosmopolitan city – opening a ‘golden age’ of arts and literature. Coinciding with the Baroque period in European history, 17th century Seville represented the most vivid of the city’s culture.

Two plagues ravaged the city, one in 1649 and the other in 1800, causing Seville’s gradual economic and demographic decline. The 19th century brought some level of prosperity, but Seville quickly fell to the Nationalists at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War in 1936. During the Second World War, Seville remained largely economically and culturally isolated.

Seville has since been named the capital of the Andalusia region of Spain, Expo ’92 brought the city millions of visitors and several public works and the city’s economy has steadily improved with a mixture of commerce, tourism, technology and industry.