The Giralda of Seville is the minaret of the old Almohad mosque of the city. The lower section of the Giralda is the originally built by the Muslims. Its construction started in 1184 after the command of the sultan of Maroc, Abu Yaqub Yusuf. Stones from old roman constructions were used for the groundwork, some of which can still be seen in the Giralda down to the floor. The structure of the Giralda consists in four external and four internal walls, between them a spiral sloping ramp goes up to the terrace. This way it was possible for the sultan and the muezzins to go up the tower on horse. The construction was Finished in 1196 and in 1198 four big spheres of polished copper were added to the top. The sun light reflected by the spheres made the city visible from miles away. With its height of 82 meters the Giralda was for some time the highest tower in the world and one of the most beautiful in the Muslim world. When the city was conquered by the Christian king Fernando the third in 1248 the mosque was adapted to become a cathedral. In 1356 an earthquake affected the upper part of the Giralda, destroying the copper spheres. Around 1400 a belfry was installed to replace the damaged parts. The mosque was demolished in 1433 to build a properly Christian shaped cathedral, which was inaugurated in 1507. Fortunately the Giralda escaped this destruction and continued being used as the bell tower of the cathedral. Between 1558 and 1568 a new Renaissance campanile was constructed along with other topping sections, and a large bronze wind vane representing the Christian faith was installed to top the Giralda. This is how the Giralda acquired its present aspect, with a height of 98,5 meters. The name Giralda comes from the giros (turns) that the wind produces in the wind vane. Presently the Giralda continues being the bell tower of the cathedral of Seville.

  This drawing by Guichot shows the changes experienced by the Giralda through the time.

  First state, left.  "Minaret and observatory of the Great Mosque, completed by the Almohades in 1198, also commemorating the battle of Alarcos, happened three years before."

  Second state, right. "Bell Tower of the main Church of the Christian reconquerors, after the fall of the balls due to the earthquake on august 24, 1356.."

  Third state, center, present day. "Bell tower of the Cathedral completed in 1568 the Christian part by the Cordoba architect Fernando Ruiz and other masters, including the 1890 restoration."

  I have designed this pattern with total fidelity to the original monument, adding all possible detail with the only limitation of the wood width to be used. Thus the four sides of the lower section are different. Even the balconies and decoration in a given side are different; all this detail has been represented in the model. To achieve such fidelity I have studied drawings and pictures of the tower, to respect measures, heights, widths and every possible detail.

   This pattern has no special difficulty in its construction, however it is by far the most time consuming and elaborate of all the patterns I have on this site.

   The pattern can be made at any desired height, just by adapting the wood thickness accordingly. If you use 2, 4 (main), 8 and 16 mm wood the height is 123 cm. If you use 1/16, 1/8 (main), 1/4 and 1/2 inches wood (scaling at 80%) the height is then 39 inches. Depending on your choice of wood these are the dimensions of the tower (main thickness in bold): 

     This is a detail of some balconies and the decoration around them.

  Please note that this pattern is registered and copyrighted. If you would like to have it I offer it for 20 € plus shipping. The pattern is computer made, which provides total precision, and nicely printed for convenient scrolling. Click here to buy this pattern. Write me to info@finescrollsaw.com for any questions.

 This picture has been sent by Carlos del Cerro Tenorio from Spain.

  This picture has been sent by Francisco Rodríguez from Spain.

This picture has been sent by Antonio Chaves from Sevilla, Spain.