Córdoba Favorites

Favorite thing:


City Fountains:

Found in the barrio of the Costanillas, source of great bullfighters, and constructed in 1,721 by order of the Chief Magistrate Vera and Zúñiga; it is one of the many spots in which you can refresh form the heat of the summer in the city.

Favorite thing:


Mosque of Córdoba:

It is attributed to Abderramán’s longing for the mosques of Damascus, where his dynasty perished. Yet at the same time, it manifests the triumphs of his people and his gratitude to his faith.

In 780 AD, begin the construction of the biggest mosque the world had ever known over the structure of what it was known as the visgothic church of Saint Vincent.

The 23,400 square meters that occupies the actual mosque with almost 500 columns and superimposed arches, they are the partial creation of Abderramán I, of Abderramán II, of Alhaken II and of Almanzor already by the year 987 AD. It is considered the epitome of the caifal art, and its fantastic forest of columns and arches in its interior is one of the most beautiful spaces ever constructed in a house of worship. The orientation of the Mihrab, curiously is not towards Meccah. In 1,253, at the center of its complex, a Christian cathedral is built.

Few pieces of art of this magnitude present such mixture of artistry such as the Cordobesian mosque, where mixed into the caifal styles, you can see the Byzantine and oriental influences, as well as hispano-romanic and Visigothic elements. To observe this, all that is needed is to step on to the Gate of the Forgiveness, at its northern side, crossing through its mudejar decorations, and stepping on to the Patio of the Orange Trees, entering the mosque through the Gate of the Palms, of a beautiful plateresque style. It is then only that you will find the grandiose caifal architecture.

In this great Muslim temple, one can appreciate its magnificence in each corner and detail. The examples of the central octagonal dome, richly decorated with polychrome mosaics; the Mihrab, or the place to which a Muslim must look for it faces Mecca, that possesses a blinding decoration of marble and sculpted Byzantine mosaics, as well as dozen other examples.

Favorite thing: 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.

Fondest memory:
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

Favorite thing: Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos.
The Palace of the Christian Kings was built in 1328 by Alfonso XI.
Four towers on the corners of the Alcazar existed but today remain only three.
The Torre de los Leones situated in the entrance of the Palace,the Torre de Homenaje with an octagonal shape, and the round Torre del Rio. The Torre de la Vela was destroyed in the 19th century.

Favorite thing: LA CATEDRAL. In 1236 Cordoba was reconquered by the Christians and converted the mosque inot Christian Cathedral.They added the Royal Chapel.In 1523 the Catholic Church and King Charles V built a christian cathedreal inside the mosque. So the Gothic style was mixed to the Baroque and Renaissance style.

Favorite thing: LA MEZQUITA
Its style is a mixture of Byzantine, Roman, Gothic,Persian and Syrian Syrian elements.
Caliph Abderraman built the huge hall. This hall consists of columns.A second row of arcs exists above.
Caliph Abderraman II added 8 more arcs. Its columns were of white marble of Mirida
Alhakem II built in 961 the minaret and Caliph Alamanzor double the size of the Mosque and added columns of blue and red marble.

Favorite thing: Visit the Alcazar of the Christian Kings. The Muslim Alcazar used to stand where the Episcopal Palace is.It was reformed during the Baroque period. In spite the fact of being a building of the Christian period its gardens are typical Moorish.

Favorite thing: See Mezquita which is the most important sight of Cordoba.
The Mezquita dates back to the 10th century. At that time Cordoba was one the most prosperous sities of Europe.
You reach Mezquita via the Patio de los Naranjos
The mosque was used for Moslem prayer but later it was converted into a Cathedral which is in the centre of the mosque.