La Mezquita

Córdoba was once the Moorish capital of nearly all of the Iberian peninsula (and some parts of France, including Carcassonne) as we know those places today, but known as Al-Andalus caliphate starting in the 700s. In Córdoba we visited La Mezquita, an immense mosque dating from the 8th century. The roughly 1,250 columns of the prayer hall were repurposed from buildings from the Roman era, with varying types of stone and different capitals and bases. The disparate columns in the hall are unified by the brick-and-limestone arches everywhere—gives a sort of a hall-of-mirrors feeling.

As the Muslim population grew, the Moors expanded the original structure three times, up until the end of the 10th century. When Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile in 1236, the mosque was converted to a cathedral. Not much was done to change the appearance until a Renaissance-style nave was added smack in the center of the vast structure in the 17th century. As for the minaret, unlike the cathedral in Seville, the Catholics built a bell tower around the minaret, covering it completely. Visiting this mosque cathedral was a really unique experience!

The other thing we did while in Córdoba was to visit the “patios.” These are a carryover from the 1921 “Courtyards, Balconies and Window Displays Competition,” which has now become an annual event. Multi family homes here in this hot summer climate are designed around a central courtyard to provide ventilation for the homes, and the homes provide shade to the courtyard. We visited last year’s top prize winners. The homeowners take great pride in maintaining their living walls.Read more