Cordoba – Where Spain’s Many Cultures Met
by Sanjiva Wijesinha
(Sri Lanka)
Mezquita Cordoba
Cordoba – Where Spain’s Many Cultures Met
A thousand years ago, Cordoba was one of the largest and most prosperous cities in Europe. Capital of Islamic Spain, it was a rich centre of trade, education and culture.
“If you have the opportunity to see just one of Spain’s many UNESCO World Heritage sites” advised my Spanish friend Professor Ubaldo when I told him of my plans to visit, “make sure you visit Cordoba’s Mezquita ”.
This amazing mosque was constructed in 780 by Spain’s Islamic rulers. After the city was conquered by the Catholic monarchs, Christian services were conducted in the mosque – but in the 16th century it was decided to construct a proper cathedral. The resulting ‘church within a mosque’ combines Baroque, Renaissance and Moorish styles – and is something encountered nowhere else in the world.
As I walked through the peaceful Courtyard of Orange Trees and Puerta de las Palmas to enter the Mezquita) the sight that greeted me was awesome - a forest of apparently endless red and white columns, superimposed on which are two tiers of horseshoe-shaped arches giving an impression of openness and height. The inner walls of the mosque are covered with rich decorations of mosaics, calligraphy and stucco sculptures. The intricately decorated Mihrab (prayer niche) and lavish Maqsura (caliph’s enclosure) are exquisitely embellished with sculpted marble and abstract mosaics.
Other sites worth visiting in Cordoba are
- the 14th century Jewish synagogue one of the best preserved in Spain whose walls are covered with Moorish decorations and Hebrew writing.
- the Casa de Sefarad ‘House of Memories’ – just opposite the synagogue, this permanent exhibition recounts the story of Cordoba’s Sephardic Jews
the Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos with its gardens and 14th century water terraces, situated a few blocks from the mosque
- the picturesque plazas and narrow streets in the old Jewish Quarter with their whitewashed houses embellished with wrought iron balconies and pots of brightly coloured flowers
- the Al-Andalus Museum and Museum of Fine Arts which allow the visitor to experience the many facets of culture of this amazing city.
Sanjiva Wijesinha
