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inside the mosque
La Tranquera
Smokers' dining room (2)
Puente Romano, Cordoba, ES 1998Córdoba is, nowadays, not one...
Córdoba is, nowadays, not one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. But it´s the witness of a wonderful past, a pattern of behaviour of living together different races (jewish, christians and muslims all together), in the sames place, respecting each other, learning from each other, as it should be. As a result: A magnific, artistic, erudite society in the Muslim Spain. In fact, I think it must have been the perfect society, where I would have liked to live in.
The Mosque-Cathedral (750 pts entry=$4). It dates back to the 10th century when the city reached its zenith under a new emir, Abd Al-Rahman III, one of the greatest rulers of Islamic History, who built the mosque over an antique christian church. In 1.371 'Capilla de Villaviciosa' was built by Moorish craftsmen in 1.371, and after the Reconquest(early 16th century), a Renaissance cathedral was made in the centre of the mosque.
The inside is decorated by thousands of white-and-red columns (following the sirius style), bright as shafts of sunlight giving a feeling of sickness mixed with peace. Sickness on account of the terrible mixture, recalling the need for power of both nations , leaving their 'God' or 'Ala' behind, after such a glorious age.Peace for it is a beautiful place, indeed.
Al Mirhab, the place in every mosque indicating the direction to Meca, where the imam started the prayers, amplifying his voice, is particularly magnificent. The shell is carved from a single block in marble and the chambers on either side, are decorated with exquisite Byzantine mosaics of gold, bright as the stars!.
Madinat Al-Zahra, the ruines of an old city of dreams, love, and exchanging culture, constructed in 936, by the command of Abd Al-Rahman II, 8 km far from Córdoba, in a place called Qarqarit.
The new city was called so on account of a sculpture there was in the main door of the madinat, until it was taken by the Christians. Since the death of Al-Hakam II the summit falls, dissapearing with Almanzor, moving the court to Madinat al Zahira (more near to Córdoba) leaving the new city of the rose. In the 15th century the people from Córdoba commits pillage and kill the berebers sheltered there.
Tower of Calahorra. It´s not quite beautiful itself, but it´s a very interesting multimedia museum about the history and protagonists in the 10th century.
The Province
