Sightseeing of Cordoba, Spain

La "Mezquita"
British author Gerald Brenan called this impressive Arabian mosque, the third-biggest in the world with an extension of 23.000 square meters, the most beautiful and original building of all Spain.
This Mezquita initiated the so-called Califal style, which combined Roman, Gothic, Byzantine, Syrian and Persian elements and was the starting-point of all Arabian-Hispanic architecture of the centuries to come, up to the Mudéjar-style of Arabians living in the Spain reconquered by Christians.

Caliph Abderramán I. built the colossal hall, consisting of 11 naves with 110 columns, the capitals of which were taken from old Roman and Byzantine buildings. Above there is a second row of arcs, then an architectonic novelty, creating a unique ambience of light and shadow.
Abderramán II. added 8 more arcs in 833, with columns of white marble taken from the Roman amphitheater of Mérida. Alhakem II built in 961 the minaret, Mihrab, and the Kliba with its cupola of entangled arcs in 961, both being among the major attractions today. The last an most important enlargement was made in 987 by caliph Alamanzor, doubling the original size of the mosque and adding columns of blue and red marble. As the enlargement could be made only towards West, the river Guadalquivir in the South and the palace of the caliph in the East being very close, the mosque of Cordoba is the only one that doesn't have the Mihrab as its central point. The other particularity is that it is not orientated towards Mecca, but towards Damascus - perhaps because of nostalgic feelings of Abderramán I., who expressed in his poetry how much he was missing the mosques of his home-town.


The Cathedral
When the Christians reconquered Cordoba in 1236, they consecrated the mosque to be the Christian cathedral. In 13th century the first modifications were made and the Royal Chapel, Capilla Real, was added. In 1523 the Catholic Church and King Charles V. put through against the will of the town's administration to build a Christian cathedral inside of the original mosque. Works took 234 years, so the original Gothic style is combined with Baroque and Renaissance elements. Remarkable are the Cardinal's Chapel and its treasure, including a monstrance of Enrique de Arfe, an ivory crucifix of Alonso Cano and important sculptures and paintings.


Around the "Mezquita"
Archiepiscopal Palais: In its interior there are remains of the palace of the epoch of the Goths, which lateron became Alcazar Califal, palace of the Arabian caliph. This palace was abandoned when the court changed to Medina-Azahara , but served again as residence to the kings of Taifas.
Puerta del Puente: This door was originally part of the Arabian walls, but lateron modified in Renaissance-style.
Puente Romano: Roman bridge over Guadalquivir river, consisting of 16 arcs and once forming part of the Roman Via Augusta. In the central part of the bridge was added a monument to San Rafael, the town's patron, in 17th century.
Torre de Calahorra: Arabian fortification at the Southern end of Puente Romano, originally consisting of two towers connected by an arc, to which was added a third tower in 14th century.
Along the river there are remains of Moorish mills, most important being the mill of Albolafia, which was pumping water up to the gardens of the Alcazar. Vis-a-vis there is a Baroque monument to San Rafael of 1781.


Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos
 

The Palace of the Christian Kings, built in 1328 by Alfonso XI, was residence until the reconquest of Granada. Here was kept prisoner the Moorish caliph Boabdil. In the interior of the palace there are remarkable Arabian baths, Roman mosaics and a sarcophagus of of marble from 3rd century. Originally there were four towers at the corners of the Alcazar, three of which can be seen still today: the Torre de Los Leones, the oldest, which forms the entrance to the palace, the octagonal Torre del Homenajeand the round Torre del Rio. The fourth tower, Torre de la Vela, was destroyed in 19th century.
At the Eastern limit of the gardens there are fortification-walls and the Door of Seville, with a monument to the poet Ibn Hazm, .


La Judería
The Jewish quarter, going back to the time of the Romans and Goths, was always an important cultural and intellectual center. Monuments remind to the most important sons of Cordoba: Roman philosopher Séneca, , Arabian philosopher Averroes and Jewish philosopher Maimonides .
Here you can find also one of the few synagogues existing today in Spain, this one built in 1315. Close to it there is the Bullfight-Museum. In the Zoco you can find traditional artisany and, in summer, watch Flamenco performances. More attractions are the Chapel of San Bartolomé in Gothic-Mudejar style, the Casa del Indiano and the 11th century minarets which today form part of Iglesia de San Juan and Convento de Santa Clara, respectively. In Calle de Comedias there are old Arabian baths.


Museums
Archaeological Museum: Inside of an Renaissance palace and specially interesting for the old-iberian Lion of Nueva Cartella, the Roman Head of Drusus, the visigothic Treasure of Donjimeno and the Arabian Bronce-Stag of Medina Azahara.
The Museum of Arts, in the interior of the old Hospital de la Caridad de los Reyes Católicos, has an important collection of paintings and sculptures, of Zurbarán, Murillo, Goya, Sorolla and Mateo Inurria among others.
The Museum of Julio Romero de Torres is dedicated to this painter, who is known specially for his pictures of the Woman from Cordoba.
The Palace of Viana (photo) has an extraordinary collection of furniture, tapestries, porcelains, ceramics and paintings and a cynegetic library of 7000 volumes. The building itself impresses with its 14 courtyards and beautiful gardens.


Squares
Of interest for the visitor are certainly Plaza de las Tendillas, in fact the central square in town with its clock that sounds like a guitar, Plaza de la Corredera where in 17th century took place the bullfights and Plaza del Potro, known from Cervante's Don Quijote.


Roman Ruins
In Calle Claudio Marcelo there are remains of a Roman Temple, and, in the North-East of the town, there are more ruins close to the Tower of Malmuerte.

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