Twelfth-century Islamic bathhouse found behind walls of Spanish tapas bar

Renovation work reveals dazzling geometric designs and motifs

The 12th-century Islamic bathhouse discovered behind the walls of a Seville tapas bar. Alvaro Jimenez

A 12-century Islamic bathhouse was discovered hidden behind the walls of one of Seville’s most famous tapas bars.

Workers made the discovery while doing renovation work on Cervecería Giralda, a well-known haunt in the historic capital of Spain’s Andalucía region. They were initially alerted to the building’s medieval features after noticing skylights, known as luceras, on the ceiling.

"As soon as we saw one of the skylights, we knew what it was; it just couldn't have been anything but a baths," archaeologist Alvaro Jimenez told El Pais. "We just had to follow the pattern of the skylights."

After pulling down the remaining plaster, workers found geometric designs and painted motifs running the length of the wall, revealing that it dated from the days of the Almohad Caliphate that once ruled Portugal and Spain.

Architect Vicente Traver had converted the structure into a hotel and bar in the 1900s, with the features preserved for future generations by being covered up.

Rumours of the building's former life had previously been dismissed, with many believing its Arab features were a 19th-century pastiche.

“It’s been a complete surprise. This discovery gives us an idea of what other baths might have looked like during the Almohad period, especially in Seville, which was one of the two capitals of the empire together with Marrakech,” said archaeologist Fernando Amores, who collaborated on the project.

The bath is situated near the site of the city’s main mosque, which was also built in the 12th century, explaining why the bath was painted in such detail. Such examples of Almohad design are extremely rare, experts said.

“This is the only surviving Arab bath with an integral decoration; until now, the only known examples had paint just on the baseboards”, Mr Jimenez said.