MORE CÓRDOBA

Córdoba is currently the world leader in UNESCO World Heritage Sights (4)...we decided to start with the Alcázar. Having visited the very grand Royal Alcázar in Seville, plus a much smaller, but still very interesting one in Jerez, we were keen to see the one here in Córdoba.
The Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (Castle of the Christian Monarchs) was formerly a Roman fortress situated along the northern bank of the Guadalquivir River. It was here that the voyage of Columbus was planned. He visited King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella at this Royal Palace in 1486 - where they lived from 1482-1492, before moving their residence to Granada.
Entrance is limited to no more than 250 people - a great idea once inside, but line-ups can be long, so allow extra time if visiting. We were lucky and waited only about 15 minutes. Entrance at €5 is a bargain.
After entering, we walked along a few startling white corridors - all with arched brick ceilings - that display some lovely old furniture and Roman remains, including a sarcophagus from the 3rd century A.D. Moorish style baths, rebuilt by Alfonso XI in 1327, are situated in the basement. The first room was the changing room, followed by 3 more that were the cold, warm and hot rooms....all have star-shaped skylights that provided light and allowed ventilation. The original marble floor slabs are still there - and the walls, which are made from hardened clay, still provide a temperature that is far warmer than the surrounding areas.
At 4,100 square metres, the castle is almost a perfect square - the battlement walls and walkways connect four towers (only 3 remain). We climbed up some narrow winding stairs to reach them, giving us great views of the city, including the Royal Stables which are right next door to the Alcázar’s gardens.
The towers themselves are interesting...one has high vaulted openings where the light shining in forms a very specific “spotlight.” The oldest - The Lion Tower has 2 floors and a roof terrace.....its name is derived from one of the gargoyles which can be seen from the upper floor.
The Tower of the Inquisition has 3 floors....the main one is octagonal and was used as a place for swearing oaths. The top floor was a reception hall with a balcony above from where the Inquisition carried out its public executions.
Back downstairs, the Mosaics Hall was, for us, the highlight inside this Alcázar.
In a lovely hall, which houses the former chapel of the Inquisitions, is a collection of Roman mosaics that can only be described as magnificent. Discovered in 1959 under Corredera Square, when excavations were being done for a new market, they once belonged to the wealthy Roman mansion that was situated there.
Dating from the 2nd & 3rd century A.D. all are large, the biggest one is an incredible 1045 cm X 555 cm (34 ft 3 “ X 18’ 2”)! Almost perfectly restored and displayed on the walls of this hall, they vary from intricate geometric designs to pictures featuring gods and mythical characters. Having being fortunate enough to have seen quite a few Roman mosaics, the ones here are difficult to describe due to their size, scope and beauty.
We entered the gardens via a Moorish patio with attractive arches, small bubbling fountains and the scent of jasmine & honeysuckle everywhere. Motifs in stucco, plus drawings of castles and lions can be seen around the base of a few of the walls.
The gardens at the Alcázar occupy another 55,000 square metres....and although late in the year, many flowers are still in bloom. A wide variety of plants, palm trees, cypresses and orange and lemon trees fill the area. Interconnecting fountains, large and small ponds are featured throughout. The water for these gardens was originally brought in by an aqueduct - with additional help from the large water wheel which can still be seen in the River Guadalquivir close by.
At the centre of the garden is a huge statue depicting the meeting of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella with Christopher Columbus facing them, which gives the whole piece interest from all sides.
Although, a great place to wander, we finally left and walked down and across the Roman Bridge to watch the sun go down over the city - undeterred by a cool and cloudy evening. The Mezquita and the Alcázar failed to take on the promised “glow”....but it’s still a lovely sight - not to be missed......and we did see a large rainbow!
Cordoba’s most famous, and most and visited site, has to be the Mezquita-Cathedral....one of the most exceptional monuments in the world. In 1984 it was declared the first of the four UNESCO World Heritage Sights in this city.
This ancient building, which was started in 785 by Abd al-Rahman I, was built on the site of the former Visigoth Basilica of San Vincente. Over the next two centuries it was extended by 4 different rulers, show-casing the evolution of Caliphate art.
Built within the Mosque, the Christian Church has examples of Gothic, Renaissance & Baroque styles. First consecrated in 1146, it became a Cathedral in 1236 and has held a Mass for the Christian community every single day since!
Entrance to the Mosque-Cathedral is reached from the beautiful courtyard, the Patio de los Naranjos. Although now filled with orange trees, it previously had many more fountains and water areas....evidence of this can be seen by the straight rows of narrow aqueducts in the bricked floor. When the Mosque was used for Muslim prayer, all 19 entrances were open to this courtyard.
After just a few steps into the Mezquita, everyone stops - in awe of this vast area...we certainly did! As far as the eye can see are huge columns.....a forest of them! Based on mosques in Damascus and the al-Aqua in Jerusalem - but with reused materials - the site is breathtaking. With double arches, allowing extra building height, the columns soar upwards - in total there are 850 of them! The arches themselves are made of alternating brick and stone, which creates a distinctive red and white striped pattern.
We toured the inside of this unique building for almost 3 hours - fortunate that even on this cool rainy day, it was relatively uncrowded. There’s no particular order or direction in which to wander....audio and/or visual guides are available at a separate kiosk adjacent to the the one selling tickets.
Around the outer edge of the cathedral are gated chapels - too many to remember - but all are filled with dark religious paintings, some are richly decorated with gold and silver, and many contain family tombs. One tucked away in the corner is named the Parish of the Tabernacle and is filled with paintings of Christian martyrs. There’s a completely separate Chapel of Santa Teresa....it has a gorgeous cupola and is filled with gold and silver treasures.
The Mihrab which indicates the direction of Mecca (and prayer) is magnificent. The shell-shape ceiling is not only outstanding in its carvings....it’s actually carved out of a single piece of marble! The chambers on either side are decorated with Byzantine mosaics of gold. The worn flagstones indicate where pilgrims crouched on their knees - but they did not face Mecca..... When the Mosque was built it was intended to look south, as does the one in Damascus - not south-east towards Mecca. Apparently there are many theories on why....pick your own!
In the centre of the Mosque is the Cathedral itself, which was consecrated when Córdoba was re-conquered. A royal chapel was also built to welcome the Christian Kings. In 1523 a huge Nave was constructed and over the years the Cathedral became increasingly more and more elaborate. The choir stalls were sculpted in the mid-18th century along with the pulpit....another gorgeous piece of craftsmanship!
In addition to the building itself, there are many other things to see there, including a collection of stone-masons’ individual marks, the wooden workings of a clock, signed by the designer in 1747, a velvet covered collection of liturgical books from the 18th century and a stone tablet from a sarcophagus, dating from 968.
We finally called a halt - our heads were full and our senses overloaded - and so we had one last walk through the forest of arches and emerged back into the courtyard - it was still raining. We found a café in Plaza de las Tendillas and sat outside with a drink - under an awning, right by a large gas heater which one of the cafés had thoughtfully provided! That and a walk home in the rain certainly cleared our heads!