Cordoba

8th June

In Cordoba there is a number of great places to visit.  The old royal stables where they now have a Spanish riding school, a Roman built bridge with the original gates at either end, the alcazar that is the old royal palace…mostly all that is left is the gardens and a little bit of the original palace, old town with its twisting little alleyways, etc..  

But what I really came to see was the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba and I was not disappointed.  I think it’s the most amazing structure I’ve ever seen, the architecture, the culture significance, religious significance and just how beautiful it is.  The site originally was a Roman Temple, then the Christians built over it a Visigoth church, then the Moors took Cordoba and split it in two for both Christians and Muslims in 711. In 784 it was destroyed and they started work on the mosque and continue building for over 2 centuries and finally completed in 987. Then in 1236 Cordoba was recaptured by a Christian King and he start rebuilding a synagogue in the middle of the mosque, and he never demolished the mosque. So we end up with a cathedral sort of built in the middle of a mosque.  Today the site is as significant to both Islamic and Christian faiths.  While we were there we saw people from both faiths.

I’ve done two videos, one of the Mosque-Cathedral and another for the rest. Hope you enjoy Cordoba as much as I did. 

Cordoba

Mosque-Cathedral 

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