Cordoba and The Mezquita

Cordoba is another city we visited in 2007, but since it is home to one of the coolest sites we have ever been to, we thought it was worth going again as a day trip from Sevilla. Also helping us make this decision is the existence of high-speed trains in much of Spain outside the north. (We don't have high-speed trains yet where we live due to the mountainous terrain.) Although the high-speed trains in Spain do not travel as fast as in China, Japan or even France, our non-stop train made the 85 mile trip from Sevilla to Cordoba in just 45 minutes (it would have taken 2 hours on the bus or 1.5 hours driving).

As with much of Southern Spain, Cordoba was ruled by the Moors prior to its "reconquest" by the Catholics, which in the case of Cordoba occurred in 1236. For the last 200 or so years of Moorish rule, Cordoba was ruled by the Almoravids (Berbers from Northern Africa), but before that it was ruled by Muslims from Damascus (the Umayyads) and during that time (around the years 750-1000), Cordoba was among the most populous and technologically advanced cities in Europe. It is estimated that during the height of Umayyad rule, Cordoba's population was 200,000 people or 0.1% of the global population - equivalent to a city of over 70 million people today(!!)).

The result of this mixed history in Cordoba is one of the most amazing buildings we have ever visited -- the Mezquita (known in English as the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba). The Mezquita is a huge, ancient Mosque, which was built over centuries beginning in the year 784. At its peak, as many as 20,000 people would worship there together. And remember, for Muslims worshiping means having enough space to lay out a prayer carpet and prostrate yourself during the service. Now try to imagine a big enough space for 20,000 people to do this together.

After the Catholics conquered Cordoba, to their credit, they did not destroy the Mezquita. Instead, they placed a Church in the middle of it. And, that is how it remains to this day...a giant (non-used) Mosque, with an operating Catholic Cathedral rising up from the middle of it. We recommend that you do a quick search for pictures of the Mezquita from the air, it is the only way to really understand the magnitude of it.

Of course, the Mezquita is a giant tourist attraction. It seemed to us that most of the people were more interested in the Cathedral in the middle, but we can see and have seen plenty of old Catholic Cathedrals (there is even one in San Sebastian). For us, the most interesting part is the remnants of the old Mosque and the way that the Church has integrated itself without destroying what was there. Here are a few pictures of our favorite parts:

The different shades of red in the double arches reflect the original arches in contrast to newer arches added as the building expanded. The third picture is the mid-10th century mihrab, where the imam stood as he led the prayers. You can see many more pictures on the web, but we recommend a visit to the site itself. It is definitely something that should be experienced in person.

In addition to the Mezquita, Cordoba has an interesting history that includes a significant impact from its Jewish citizens who lived there in peace with the Muslims and Christians under the Umayyads, but  Cordoba's Jews were later forced into conversion or exile after it was conquered by the Almohads in 1148 (the great Jewish philosopher Maimonides was among the exiled). And, the Catholics completed the process begun by the Almohads after the Reconquista. We enjoyed walking through the narrow lanes of the old Jewish quarter and around the ancient walls of the old part of the city.

A triumphal arch in the Renaissance style:

The ancient Roman bridge (the foundation is from the first-century AD and the arches are from the 16th century) across the Guadalquivir River, which was once navigable but is now silted up:

All in all, we had a great day in Cordoba. And, we even slept on the brief train ride back to Sevilla :).

Hasta luego,

Jeff and Shana