Cordoba is third biggest and populated city of Andalusia, overshadowed only by Seville and Malaga. Today it is a city of a moderate size; nevertheless, the old town contains architectural memories according to a time when Cordova was the capital city of the Baetic province during the Roman Empire and the Caliphate of Cordova period which took place during the Moslem invasion, which governed a big part of the Iberian peninsula.
The Mosque of Cordoba
It was an Arab mosque during the caliphate of the Omeyas and turned into the current cathedral of the city in the 13th century. It began to be built during the 8th century on the site of the Visigode basilica of San Vicente, by commission of the caliph Abderramán I. During history, it suffered several enlargements by later caliphs up to culminating in the 12th century by Almanzor. It was the most extensive and important after the Mecca. In the interior we can see some beautiful arches weakened on 1300 columns made of marble, granite and jasper, the treasure of the Cathedral or the famous courtyard of the orange trees within.
Medina Azahara
It is located in the surroundings of the capital of Cordoba. It was built by Abderramán III in 936 AD, according to the tradition, to honor his love for a woman of his harem, and according to the history for showing off the power of his caliphate. At present only a 13 % of the city has been excavated and when visitors contemplate it, they can go so far as to imagine the stateliness of which, one day in history, was the place of the caliph’s court. We can see the Salón Rico (Rich Room), a place where interviews with the embassies took place, the great Aljama Mosque or its wall and north door. For visiting this place, comfortable clothes and footwear are recommended.
The Palace of the Christian Kings
This fortress is a building having a military character which was built by commission of King Alfonso XI of Castile in 1328. Within this place, the Catholic kings prepared during eight years the siege to the Kingdom of Granada, met with Columbus for the first time and witnessed the birth of the infanta Doña Maria who was, in the end, a queen of Portugal. Later the church turned it into a venue of the court belonging to the Inquisition. The palace has beautiful gardens full of vegetation, flowers and ponds where the visitor can take beautiful photographic memories.
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February 19th, 2010 at 12:07 am
[...] Medina Azahara or Madinat al-Zahra is an Islamic city having a 112-hectares surface. Its construction was comissioned by the first caliph of la-Andalus, better known as Abd al-Rahman III, in the year 936 or 940 AD, due to a political, economic and ideological program beginning after the creation of the caliphate. This place was used as personal residence and also as the seat for this government. Meanwhile its court area was used for presentations of houses belonging to the most important dignitaries as well as the set of state-run administrative agencies, which were lately moved from Cordoba. [...]
February 19th, 2010 at 8:46 pm
[...] Mosque Cathedral of Cordoba is one of the most important monuments of the Spanish-Muslim architecture. It was the third biggest [...]