I reported earlier that it appears that the Spanish economy (if you can call it an economy) is built primarily on olives; while this still seems to be the case, I would add that the secondary economic input seems to be oranges - as the trip out of Seville took us past reasonably large orange groves; interestingly the locals won't eat the Seville oranges, as they are too bitter, and what the western world calls Seville Marmalade, the locals call Marmalade de Ingles (or English Marmalade)!
So, after checking into the accommodation, which is a little out of the city, but only 15 minutes or so on the bus, that left a comfortable half-day to start off Cordoba.
An Iberian and Roman city in ancient times, during the postclassical period (Middle Ages), it became the capital of an Islamic caliphate. The old town contains numerous architectural reminders of when Corduba was the capital of Hispania Ulterior during the Roman Republic and capital of Hispania Baetica during the Roman Empire; and when Qurṭubah was the capital of the Islamic Caliphate of Córdoba, including most of the Iberian Peninsula.
It is believed that in the 10th century Córdoba was the most populous city in the world, with an estimated population of around 1 million. Under the rule of Caliph Al Hakam II it had also become a centre for education under its Islamic rulers. Al Hakam II opened many libraries on top of the many medical schools and universities which existed at this time; such universities contributed towards developments in mathematics and astronomy. During these centuries Córdoba had become the intellectual centre of Europe and was also noted for its predominantly Muslim society that was tolerant toward its Christian and Jewish minorities.
Of course, all of that was to change!
The route to the Mezquita (probably the single most popular tourist spot in Cordoba, and understandably so) went past old city walls, a Coliphate (Muslim rule) era water-wheel, and onto the Roman Bridge (which funny enough is from Roman times) across the Rio Guadalquiver (the same as flows through Seville, for those of you who have been following the story so far).
The bridge, part of the Via Augusta, was built in the reign of Emperor Augustus (1st Century BC); with numerous renovations, in the present structure only the ashlars and some of the arches of the original bridge remain.
On the other side of the bridge is a small museum in a gate/tower (the Museo-Torre de la Calahorra: the Calahorra Tower Museum), which outlines the history of Cordoba, particularly through the Caliphate period. From the roof-top there is a good view back to the city over the Roman Bridge.
Back on the city side of the bridge is the Puerta del Puente (Bridge Gate), with views back the other way.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Mezquita is the largest Islamic monument in the western world, and is the third largest mosque in the world.
It’s impossible to overemphasise the beauty of Córdoba’s great mosque, with its remarkably peaceful and spacious interior. The Mezquita hints, with all its lustrous decoration, at a lavish and refined age when Muslims, Jews and Christians lived side by side and enriched their city and surroundings with a heady interaction of diverse and vibrant cultures.
The Visigothic Church of St Vincent was the original building located on the site of the Mezquita, and Arab chronicles recount how Abd ar-Rahman I purchased half of the church for the use of the Muslim community’s
Friday prayers. However, the rapid growth of that community soon rendered the space too small and in AD 784 he bought the other half to erect a new mosque. Al-Hakim II added the existing mihrab (prayer niche) and, for extra light, built a number of domes with skylights over the area in front of it.
What is left today is the building’s final form with one major alteration – a 16th-century cathedral right in the middle (hence the often-used description of ‘Mezquita-Cathedral’). The structure was partly dismantled to make way for the cathedral, which took nearly 250 years to complete (1523–1766). The cathedral thus exhibits a range of changing architectural styles and tastes, from plateresque and late Renaissance to extravagant Spanish baroque.
In my opinion, the cathedral totally ruins the space, and is an example of a bad renovation! The original space was open throughout, with a simply stunning pillar structure supporting the roof; there is a magical interplay of light and shade throughout with different textures and views wherever you look. Unfortunately, there is the cathedral's main chapel slap-bang in the middle, with many more chapels around the walls.
Having said that, it is still a beautiful building, and I am glad that I came to this part of Spain to see it; I'll let the pictures speak for themselves (I'm sorry, but I couldn't decide between these ones, so you are getting them all):