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If you look at a satellite view of Cordoba in Google images, the Mezquita-Catedral de Cordoba will demand your attention. It is a powerful work of architecture with masses of historical and cultural significance. During my trip to Cordoba I was lucky enough to have a tour of the iconic building, and spend a lot of time in and around it. My favourite part of the day was lunchtime when me and my friends would sit and eat lunch outside the Mezquita’s walls, basking in the warmth of the sun as well as the beautiful architecture. The outside of the walls are adorned with grand arches – some of which were still decorated with bold, red and gold mosaics which had not yet faded by the sun and age. The bell tower, which stands at the very front of the Mezquita, is an impressive 54 meters tall, dominating the Cordoba skyline as the tallest building in the city.[1] Originally, it was built as a minaret to call the faithful to prayer when the Mezquita was used as a mosque, however it was later converted to a bell tower after Christian conquest. Interestingly, each of the bells in the tower was given a name, such as ‘the assumption’ and St Zoilus.[2] Although it is no longer in use after an earthquake in 1589[3], it still adds to the impressive architecture of the building. The courtyard is perfumed with a sweet citrus scent from the many beautiful orange trees planted there. It was Prince Abd al-Rahman I (who’s family- the Umayyads, were overthrown in Damascus and escaped to Spain) who had fruit trees and other plants imported from his former home into Spain. The orange trees that grow in the courtyard are ‘a beautiful, if bittersweet reminder of the Umayyad exile’.[4]

            The cool interior of the Mezquita was a welcome refreshment compared to the heat of the sun. Once my eyes had adjusted to the change in lighting I was in awe of the amazing double arches surrounding me. The prayer hall was the centrepiece of the original mosque and so it was originally the primary focus when building the mosque.[5] The arches were designed to make sure as much of the natural lighting as possible to come in from the courtyard.[6] Some of the pillars, columns and shafts are recycled from the Roman and Visigoth eras from before the original mosque was built. Most however were imported from other parts of Spain, Europe and even North Africa.[7]  During our tour, our guide pointed out on some of the pillars, the signature left by the individual artist who would have made/ worked on that specific pillar. This small, seemingly insignificant touch makes you realise how much work went into creating this magnificent building. The repeated double horseshoe arches give the illusion that the prayer hall continues on forever. While standing there I felt as if I were in a place completely separate from anywhere else, somewhere in which something bigger than myself existed. This feeling of being somewhere awe inspiring was maintained when I turned around a corner and suddenly, as if walking through a portal, I found myself standing in a grand Cathedral. The contrast between the Islamic architecture and the Christian architecture is significant. You are in a mosque minimal place with beautiful intricate patterns and mosaics and arches, then in just a few steps you are transported into a cathedral filled with gorgeous statues of saints and angels. The ceiling has been extended higher, to make room for stained glass windows and paintings. The concoction of the grand, over the top Christian architecture I was already so familiar with, mixed together with the unfamiliar to me, yet beautiful Islamic architecture, was extraordinary. I had never before been so amazed by the architecture of a building. Mark Barnes expresses similar feelings from his visit to the Mezquita, ‘As I strolled the corridors of the Mezquita and the Cathedral, plunged within it, I was reminded not just of religious conflict, but of the truly remarkable achievements of mankind’[8].  It is easy to see just from walking around and seeing the Mezquita for yourself, that this is not just an old place of worship, it is a building filled with symbolism and beauty- it is a building that has been shaped by a rich and diverse history.

            It seems that the land where the Mezquita is built was destined to be a place of worship of some kind from the very beginning. Roughly 989 years before even the conception of the Mezquita as we know it now, the land hosted a Roman temple of worship. It is believed that the Romans built a temple for the God Janus opposite the Roman Bridge of Cordoba (which still stands to this day.) – right where the Mezquita stands today.[9]  This however is debated. Professor Robert C. Knapp believes that the temple never actually existed and previous historians had simply misread certain milestones.[10] However, whether it existed or not, the temple for Janus did not remain forever. By the 5^th century CE. The roman empire in Spain had fallen and Cordoba had been invaded by Visigoths (a tribe of Germanic people).[11]  The Roman temple was demolished and the Visigoths built a basilica, named The Basilica of St Vincent, the remains of which can still be found in the basement of the present day Mezquita.[12]The reign of the Visigoths was not to last ,however, and in 711, Moors (form the Umayyad Caliphate[13]) invaded Andalucía[14] ‘where they proceeded to uproot the Visigoth flags, and replace them with their own’.[15]

            To begin with it is believed that for many years the Visigoth basilica was divided into two halves and used by both Muslims and Christians peacefully[16]. This was until the spring of 784 or 785 when the Caliphate, al-Rahman purchased the basilica and it’s surrounding land.[17] In 784, the basilica was destroyed and work on the Mezquita as we know it today began.[18] The original mosque (originally named the Aljama[19]) was not completed until 987[20] (At the time it was the largest mosque in the Islamic Kingdom- apart from that of Kaaba in Arabia[21]). Under al-Rahman’s rule the mosque held an original copy of the Koran and an arm bone of the Prophet Mohammed. This made it a very popular destination for Muslim pilgrimages.[22]  Another interesting feature of the Aljama during the Islamic era was the lights. Sometime during the late 10^th century when the Islamic kingdom was most powerful, the warrior, al-Mansur ‘embarked upon a violent rampage’ through the north of Spain. When he came to Santiago de Compostela, he went to the city’s cathedral and removed the buildings bells and had them melted and made into lights for the mosque.[23]

Legend has it that al-Rahman was compelled to build the Aljama by an angel that appeared to him. It is said that one night he woke up to see a figure glowing golden and standing at the foot of his bed. Saying nothing, the figure touched al-Rahman’s shoulder and immediately he saw a horrifying vision of his own soul in a sea of blood, desperately trying to keep afloat and grasping for air as he tried to paddle away from the grasp of the devil.  The apparition then took back his hand from al-Rahman’s shoulder and, traumatised by what he had seen, he fell to the floor crying. The angel then told him, in order to atone for his sins and save his soul he must build a mosque over the Visigoth church.[24] The less. Fantastical explanation for al-Rahman’s decision to build the Aljama is that it was built to accommodate for a fresh wave of Muslim immigrants.[25]

            The Islamic rule of Cordoba was not to last, and ‘in 1236, Cordoba was captured from the moors by King Ferdinand III of Castile and re-joined Christendom’[26]. The Aljama was converted into a church and the structure was largely left untouched for almost three centuries. The Christians simply consecrated the building and dedicated it to The Virgin Mary.[27] One physical change that was immediately made to the building however was to the lights al-Mansur had created out of the bells from the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. He had the lights made back into bells and sent them back to their home in the cathedral.[28]  It was not until 1523, under the orders of King Carlos V, that the middle of the building was ripped out and a Christian Cathedral was built in the middle of the Mezquita.[29] It is rumoured that when the King saw the results he deeply regret what had been done –he believed that ‘the builders had destroyed something unique in the world[30]. Little did he know that ironically this addition, contributed to the Mezquita-Cathedral becoming something absolutely unique and iconic in the world. To once again quote another visitor of the Mezquita, ‘perhaps it is the symbol of two religions in one place that makes the Mezquita-Cathedral so unique.’[31]

            Today, officially it is The Cathedral of St Mary of the Assumption.[32] The Mezquita-Cathedral is more than just another Cathedral though. It stands today as a physical representation of the many religious and cultural changes that have come through Cordoba. It stands as a piece of evidence displaying the legacy of the once powerful Islamic empire that ruled in Andalucía. It is an icon of physical history – more beautiful and inspiring than reading about the past in a dusty textbook.

            The wealth of history and cultural importance of the Mezquita is shared among many researchers and there are massive archives full of information on the Mezquita and it’s history that are kept well and are a popular place where many different researchers can go to find out more about the site. It houses many things from documents on about Cordoba to a collection of six hundred incunabules (early printed books).[33]

The Mezquita is the most dominant memory of my visit to Andalucía, I find it difficult to think of Cordoba without getting lost in my memories of being in the cool indoors of the Mezquita looking in awe at the gorgeous horseshoe double arches that seemed to stretch to infinity, and the awe I felt when turning a corner and finding myself suddenly standing in a drastically different Catholic cathedral. I have never experienced a building so iconic and rich in diverse religious and historic impact. The Mezquita is more than a building it is a statement and a testament of Cordoba’s varied and interesting history. It is evidence of all the different people who once lived and ruled in Cordoba and the stories of their lives.

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[1] mezquita-catedral de cordoba. (2019). The Bell Tower. [online] Available at: http://tiny.cc/q5sc7y [Accessed 20 May 2019].

[2] ii

[3] ii

[4] Mirmobiny, S. (n.d.). The Great Mosque of Cordoba. [online] Khan Academy. Available at: http://tiny.cc/e8uc7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[5] The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[6] ii

[7] ii

[8] Barnes, M. (2018). Uncovering an Islamic Caliphate through the Moorish Sites in Córdoba | Anywhere We Roam. [online] Anywhere We Roam. Available at: http://tiny.cc/u70e7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[9] The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[10] ii

[11] Mark, J. (2011). Visigoth. [online] Ancient History Encyclopedia. Available at: https://www.ancient.eu/visigoth/ [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[12] The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[13]The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[14] Nayler, M. (2018). A Brief History of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: http://tiny.cc/6wug7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[15] The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[16] Nayler, M. (2018). A Brief History of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: http://tiny.cc/6wug7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[17] The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[18] Nayler, M. (2018). A Brief History of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: http://tiny.cc/6wug7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[19] The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[20] Nayler, M. (2018). A Brief History of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: http://tiny.cc/6wug7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[21] ii

[22] Sacred-destinations.com. (2019). Mezquita de Cordoba – Cordoba, Spain. [online] Available at: http://tiny.cc/arf86y [Accessed 20 May 2019].

[23] Nayler, M. (2018). A Brief History of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: http://tiny.cc/6wug7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[24]The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[25] ii

[26] Sacred-destinations.com. (2019). Mezquita de Cordoba – Cordoba, Spain. [online] Available at: http://tiny.cc/arf86y [Accessed 20 May 2019].

[27] ii

[28] Nayler, M. (2018). A Brief History of the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: http://tiny.cc/6wug7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[29] The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba: The History and Legacy of the Moors’ Greatest Holy Site in Spain. (2018). Charles Rivers Editors.

[30] Lonelyplanet.com. (2019). Mezquita | Córdoba, Spain Attractions. [online] Available at: http://tiny.cc/tvf86y [Accessed 20 May 2019].

[31] Barnes, M. (2018). Uncovering an Islamic Caliphate through the Moorish Sites in Córdoba | Anywhere We Roam. [online] Anywhere We Roam. Available at: http://tiny.cc/u70e7y [Accessed 22 May 2019].

[32] Sacred-destinations.com. (2019). Mezquita de Cordoba – Cordoba, Spain. [online] Available at: http://tiny.cc/arf86y [Accessed 20 May 2019].

[33] mezquita-catedraldecordoba. (2019). Research. [online] Available at: http://tiny.cc/bn9g7y [Accessed 25 May 2019].