Once the capital of the Moorish Kingdom and the Roman Empire, Cordoba is one of three cities in Andalusia known as the “Pearl of Islamic Spain”. His other two are Seville and the Alhambra in Granada. During a recent visit to Spain, his wife and I took a day trip to Cordoba.
Entering the city through the historic arch called Puerta del Puente, we were captivated by the sight of La Mezquita, the great mosque of the Umayyad Caliphate and one of Spain’s most iconic images .
The site of the mosque originally contained a Roman temple, which was later replaced by a church named the Visigothic Church of San Vicente. When the Moors conquered Andalusia in his year 711, they purchased half of the church for the Friday prayers of the Muslim community. Considering the enthusiasm of the time, it was an extraordinary act of tolerance for both Muslims and Christians to use the church as a place of worship.
In 785, the church was destroyed on the orders of Abd al-Rahman I, then emir of Cordoba, and the mosque we see today was built by his successors with additions in the 9th and 10th centuries. became one of the mosques. The largest sacred building in the Islamic world.
When the Christians reconquered Cordoba in 1236, the mosque was consecrated and turned into a cathedral, but it was left largely untouched. The name of the church is Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. For this reason, this mosque is also called the “Mezquita Cathedral”. As it stands, Spanish authorities and the Vatican do not allow Muslims to pray in mosques.
The entrance to the mosque is artistically decorated with gold and multi-colored motifs. But visitors flock to take in the grandeur of the quiet, vast interior of the mosque, a photographer’s dream.
Once inside, you’ll see an elegant combination of Moorish and Christian architecture. It is based on a double arch, the lower part is horseshoe-shaped and the upper part is semicircular. The alternating brick and stone arches and red and white stripes give the overall design a sense of unity and individuality.
Sunlight streams in through the four cupola windows and combines with light from hundreds of small oil lamps to create an interesting effect.
The mihrab of La Mezquita is a semicircular niche that marks the qibla (the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca) and is a masterpiece of architectural art. Carved from a single block of marble, it is decorated with geometric, flowing botanical designs and inscriptions of Quranic verses.
Unlike other mosques, the mihrab does not face southeast towards Mecca. Instead, it points south towards Damascus in Syria. Above the mihrab is an equally dazzling dome, made of criss-crossed ribs forming pointed arches, all lavishly covered with radiating gold mosaics.
For good reason, La Mezquita is considered one of the jewels of Islamic civilization in the Western world. This shows the cosmopolitan and sophisticated culture that flourished here more than 1,000 years ago, when Cordoba was the capital of Islamic Spain.
Even by today’s standards, this impressive building is one of the largest mosques in the world. Indeed, La He Mezquita is to Cordoba what the Alhambra is to Granada. From our point of view, visiting La Mezquita was a memorable part of our trip to this wonderful Andalusian city.
Another historical monument in Cordoba is the Roman Bridge. It is the main Roman heritage of this historic city, built across the Guadalquivir River after Caesar’s victory over Pompey the Great. The bridge has since been rebuilt at various times. The city center of Cordoba, together with its bridges and river, forms a picture postcard landscape of unparalleled beauty.
Besides the mosques and bridges, Cordoba’s enchanting labyrinth of narrow streets, with colorful flowers hanging from wrought-iron balconies, is a sight to behold. One such street is the charming Flower Lane, which symbolizes the beauty of the old town. We stood at the edge of the street and looked at the pots of flowers on the walls of our apartment, against the backdrop of the minaret of La Mezquita, now the bell tower of the cathedral.
Many houses in the city have large courtyards with picturesque gardens. The buildings’ glorious tiles and arches are a strong testament to the Moorish influence in the city’s architecture, but the courtyards and winding alleys are in shadow for most of the day, giving people much-needed shade. We offer Residents of summer dog days.
In the center of Cordoba is Judelía, the old Jewish quarter. This rustic district is of great historical importance. The only evidence that Cordoba was once inhabited by Jews is the synagogue. The facade of the synagogue is decorated with a statue of Moses Maimonides, a medieval Sephardic Jewish philosopher, scholar, noted astronomer, and physician born in Cordoba in 1135.
Another amazing attraction of Cordoba is the orange trees that line both sides of the street. Bitter oranges, as the name suggests, are the symbol of this southern city. As I walked through the narrow alleys, the ambrosial scent of these ornamental fruits wafted into the air.
Final Thoughts on Cordoba — We learned that the city has a historical mix of Moorish, Gothic, and Jewish architecture. La Mezquita hints at the Age of Enlightenment, when Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived side by side and enriched the city with intense interactions. A diverse and vibrant culture. Today, the city still lives in the shadow of its monumental past.
Dr. Quamrul Haider is Professor Emeritus at Fordham University, New York, USA.
Photo: Mahjabeen and Quamrul Haider