It has the same shape as Moorish palace's first construction (8)
I believe the answer is:
isomorph
'it has the same shape' is the definition.
The definition suggests a singular noun which matches the answer.
'moorish palace's first construction' is the wordplay.
'palace's first' becomes 'p' (1st letter of 'palace').
'construction' indicates an anagram (answer constructed from certain letters).
'moorish'+'p'='moorishp'
'moorishp' is an anagram of 'ISOMORPH'.
'as' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for isomorph that I've seen before include "unchanged in shape" , "one exhibiting corespondence" .)