Have you ever gone sightseeing or visited a place and have been left speechless from the experience or from what your are seeing? That's the feeling I got when I visited the Mosque in Cordoba.
Majestic, beautiful, serene and spiritual....all those words can describe the mosque in Cordoba. It's simply a place that catches the imagination and soul as it did mine.
Built in 784 AD by the Caliph Abd al-Rahman I it remained a mosque until the "Reconquista" of Spain in 1236 when it was converted to a Roman Catholic Church. The size is enormous and local specialists say it is the largest Mosque in the world with over 250,000 square feet...the size of 3 soccer fields !
It didn't start out this way, but as the population of Cordoba grew so did the Mosque. But you would not know this unless you were told. It flows seemlessly and beautifully from room to room.
The main hall is full of arches and holds 856 columns made of jasper, marble, onyx and granite remnants from ancient Roman temples that had occupied the site and surrounding areas.
The prayer room is an architectural artwork with intricate carvings, geometric designs and gilded etchings.
Some of the marble used in the
columns were spotless white and the very valuable wine-colored stones. The colors are warm and tranquil with soft whites, cream, peach and earth tones.
When the mosque was converted into a Catholic church it went
through many changes but the mosque was so exquisite that instead of demolishing it as many other mosques were with the Reconquista, King Ferdinand and others decided to add chapels and build a bell tower around the standing minaret and leave the rest of the mosque intact.
They later added a cathedral nave in the middle of the immense courtyard.
The day I was there it reached 109 degrees ! It was incredibly hot and yet inside the Mosque (Mesquita) it was much cooler. Truly one of the most magnificent edifces I've ever seen and I highly recommend it if you are ever in Cordoba...a place not to be missed.
Till next time...:)
Redheaded Lady
The main hall is full of arches and holds 856 columns made of jasper, marble, onyx and granite remnants from ancient Roman temples that had occupied the site and surrounding areas.
No comments:
Post a Comment