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Cordoba Travel guide

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When the Moors conquered Spain in 711, they made Cordoba their capital. In 929 did Andalucia declare its independence from the caliphate of Baghdad. From this time on, Cordoba grew into becoming the largest and most cultural city of Europe.

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Centre of Cordoba was the jaami`u l-a`aZim, Great Mosque, which took up Roman architectural traditions, made use of columns from older buildings around, and added the Muslim sentiment of the abstract and the limitless room. The double arches are very representative for the architecture dominating all over North Africa. The change between dark and light large squares, adds an simplicity contrasted by details in the roof, where arabesques are mixed with Arabic writings. Sadly enough, this masterpiece of Western Muslim architecture is spoilt by a Christian cathedral cutting itself right into it. Even if this is a nice building, too, its a chock to the total construction, that has horrified even medieval Christians

Another splendid example of the Muslim inheritance in Spain is the old Ummawiyy castle, Alcar. This served as the headquarters of the catholic kings during the Reconquesta. The main attraction here are the gardens, lavish, extensive, and with water in a central role. Its winding and narrow streets lead us to discover the marvellous monuments that the different cultures, as a perfect symbiosis, have enriched the city. Within its streets, we shall roam and find ourselves renewed in its varied and numerous silent, and some hidden, Cordobesian plazas. Little by little we shall find with still remaining inns from centuries ago that will tempt us to stop and taste the great wines of the land, accompanied by a wide variety of tapas, some unique to each. These streets will not stop amazing us as we seep through the soul of the traditional Cordoba: Its patios. Principal part of each home, the daily life of the neighbours turns around it, making the "patio" as one of the most valued treasures with its care and decorations.

The game of lights and shadows is unique, the permanent bubbling of the water from its multiple fountains, the symphonies of smells and colours of the vegetation with which the city is filled will siege your senses and require your surrender, making Cordoba an unequalled visitation.





Cordoba - History

More than 2,000 years are contained in this city's history. Romans and Muslims elected it as their capital elevating it as such. The different cultures that throughout the centuries have met in this city have enriched it and left a definite mark. The Mosque of Aljama, with the Christian cathedral in its heart, crowns the jewel that makes up the colourful and the whitewash houses of its historical centre.

After the conquest of Granada, King Charles V decided the construction of a Cathedral that would surpass the Mosque in height while respecting the latter. This construction began in the 16th century, of the plateresque style and its base maintains the Latin cross with a main chapel, cross-section, and choir. The edification began under the direction of Hernán Ruíz the Old, in the year 1523, and were continued by his son, Hernán Ruíz the Young, completed by Moro in 1599. From its elements must be noted the altar of red marble, two very important pulpits of baroque style and the extraordinary pews of the choir of baroque-churrigueresque style, a master piece of Pedro Duque Cornejo.

Founded by the Romans and due to its strategic importance as the highest navigable point of the Guadalquivir River,

It became a port city of great importance, used for shipping Spanish olive oil, wine and wheat back to Ancient Rome. The Romans built the mighty bridge crossing the river, now called "El Puente Romano". But Cordoba's hour of greatest glory was when it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of El-Andalus, and this was when work began on the Great Mosque, or "Mezquita", which – after several centuries of additions and enlargements – became one of the largest in all of Islam. When the city was reconquered by the Christians in 1236, the new rulers of the city were so awed by its beauty that they left it standing, building their cathedral in the midst of its rows of arches and columns, and creating the extraordinary church-mosque we see today. As well as the unique mosque-cathedral.

Cordoba's treasures include the Alcazar, or Fortress, built by the Christians in 1328; the Calahorra Fort, originally built by the Arabs, which guards the Roman Bridge, on the far side of the river from the Mezquita, and the ancient Jewish Synagogue, now a museum. Cordoba's medieval quarter, once the home of the Jewish community, is called "La Judera" (The Jewry), a labyrinth of winding, narrow streets, shady flower-filled courtyards and picturesque squares such as La Plaza del Potro. In early May, homeowners proudly festoon their patios with flowers to compete for the city's "most beautiful courtyard" contest.

Cordoba Sights, sightseeing, culture:

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