The Mezquita at Cordoba
On Saturday, I took a one hour train ride to nearby Cordoba to see the famous Cordoba Mesquita (mosque), with its rows and rows of red-and-white stripped arches disappearing off into infinity.
CORDOBA 101
I didn´t know much about Cordoba before coming to Spain, which is actually quite surprising considering the historical importance of this city. In case I´m not the only one who apparently missed the day Cordoba was discussed in history class, here´s a short synopsis (largely borrowed from Lonely Planet):
Founded in 152 BC, Cordoba (then Corduba) was a major Roman cultural center, provincial capital of Baetica and the birthplace of the writers Seneca and Lucan.
In 711 AD, Cordoba fell to the Muslim invaders and soon became the Islamic capital on the Iberian peninsula (home of modern Spain and Portugal). At its heyday (912-961 AD), Cordoba was the biggest city in Western Europe, with a population between 100,000 and 500,000. It had dazzling mosques, patios, libraries, observatories, a university, and aqueducts. The city became a place of pilgrimage for Muslims who could not reach Mecca or Jerusalem as well as a major multicultural center for scholarship, frequented by Jewish, Arab and Christian scholars. While the rest of Europe languished in the Dark Ages, the sciences, astronomy, mathematics and philosophy were thriving in a religiously tolerant Muslim Cordoba.
Eventually the city was recaptured by the armies of Fernando III of Castile in 1236, after which it experienced centuries of decline that only began to be reversed with the coming of industry in the late 19th century.
WHY JUST THE MOSQUE?
I have recently embarked on a serious exertion-minimization program. I´m tired. Between 4-6 hours a day of classes plus seeing the sights and going on weekend excursions, I´m exhausted! I have one more week to push through (Semana Santa in Sevilla) and then I am taking five days to relax in Cadiz, a beach town on the southwest coast of Spain.
So, in line with my exertion-minimization program (sounds so official, eh?), I went to Cordoba--one hour outside of Sevilla by train--just to see the famous mosque, and nothing else. Not the cathedral, not the Alcazar (castle), not the labyrinth of medieval streets in the city´s historic center. I went for the mesquita and then I went back to Sevilla. In fact, I didn´t even bother to leave for Cordoba until 12:30 in the afternoon.
THE MOSQUE
What an experience! Cordoba´s mosque is so unique and atmospheric, from its endless arches and intricate woodwork:
to its shimmering golden mosaics that line the walls of the maskura, where the caliphs and their retinues would have prayed.
I loved all the scalloped arches, and the bursts of red throughout the enormous building (23,000 square meters!)
After the Christian reconquest of Cordoba, the mosque´s interior underwent significant alterations, including a 16th century capilla plunked right down in the middle. During my visit, I avoided these altered portions, so incongruous with what was surely a fantastic building to start with. And actually, not everyone was in favor of these Christian alterations. After seeing the Christian alterations, King Carlos I is reputed to have exclaimed to the church authorities, ¨You have destroyed something that was unique in the world.¨ I don´t think it´s destroyed, per se, but then again I never saw it before it was altered.
CORDOBA'S GATE
I entered the old town through a gate in Cordoba´s old city walls, so I snapped a few pictures and stitched them together, below:
WHEN ONE DOOR JUST WON'T DO
And I couldn´t help taking a picture of one the many courtyard patios that I passed en route to the Mesquita. I covet these patios!
CORDOBA 101
I didn´t know much about Cordoba before coming to Spain, which is actually quite surprising considering the historical importance of this city. In case I´m not the only one who apparently missed the day Cordoba was discussed in history class, here´s a short synopsis (largely borrowed from Lonely Planet):
Founded in 152 BC, Cordoba (then Corduba) was a major Roman cultural center, provincial capital of Baetica and the birthplace of the writers Seneca and Lucan.
In 711 AD, Cordoba fell to the Muslim invaders and soon became the Islamic capital on the Iberian peninsula (home of modern Spain and Portugal). At its heyday (912-961 AD), Cordoba was the biggest city in Western Europe, with a population between 100,000 and 500,000. It had dazzling mosques, patios, libraries, observatories, a university, and aqueducts. The city became a place of pilgrimage for Muslims who could not reach Mecca or Jerusalem as well as a major multicultural center for scholarship, frequented by Jewish, Arab and Christian scholars. While the rest of Europe languished in the Dark Ages, the sciences, astronomy, mathematics and philosophy were thriving in a religiously tolerant Muslim Cordoba.
Eventually the city was recaptured by the armies of Fernando III of Castile in 1236, after which it experienced centuries of decline that only began to be reversed with the coming of industry in the late 19th century.
WHY JUST THE MOSQUE?
I have recently embarked on a serious exertion-minimization program. I´m tired. Between 4-6 hours a day of classes plus seeing the sights and going on weekend excursions, I´m exhausted! I have one more week to push through (Semana Santa in Sevilla) and then I am taking five days to relax in Cadiz, a beach town on the southwest coast of Spain.
So, in line with my exertion-minimization program (sounds so official, eh?), I went to Cordoba--one hour outside of Sevilla by train--just to see the famous mosque, and nothing else. Not the cathedral, not the Alcazar (castle), not the labyrinth of medieval streets in the city´s historic center. I went for the mesquita and then I went back to Sevilla. In fact, I didn´t even bother to leave for Cordoba until 12:30 in the afternoon.
THE MOSQUE
What an experience! Cordoba´s mosque is so unique and atmospheric, from its endless arches and intricate woodwork:
to its shimmering golden mosaics that line the walls of the maskura, where the caliphs and their retinues would have prayed.
I loved all the scalloped arches, and the bursts of red throughout the enormous building (23,000 square meters!) 
After the Christian reconquest of Cordoba, the mosque´s interior underwent significant alterations, including a 16th century capilla plunked right down in the middle. During my visit, I avoided these altered portions, so incongruous with what was surely a fantastic building to start with. And actually, not everyone was in favor of these Christian alterations. After seeing the Christian alterations, King Carlos I is reputed to have exclaimed to the church authorities, ¨You have destroyed something that was unique in the world.¨ I don´t think it´s destroyed, per se, but then again I never saw it before it was altered.CORDOBA'S GATE
I entered the old town through a gate in Cordoba´s old city walls, so I snapped a few pictures and stitched them together, below:
WHEN ONE DOOR JUST WON'T DO
And I couldn´t help taking a picture of one the many courtyard patios that I passed en route to the Mesquita. I covet these patios!
