The historic
quarter of Cordoba, declared a World
Heritage Site, still preserves traces of
the ancient splendour of the Caliphate
of Cordoba, which made this city one of
the most cultured and refined of
medieval Europe.
In the tenth century, during the rule
of Abd-al-Rahman III, the medina at one
point had a thousand mosques, eight
hundred public baths, and a very
advanced system of street lighting. Its
urban layout rivalled the monuments of
Constantinople, Damascus and Baghdad.
Dominating the landscape: the Great
Mosque. Its fame spread after it was
built, due to its ingenious construction
and its wealth. The "forest of columns"
(there are nearly a thousand of them),
set on top of the Visigoth basilica, is
one of the main attractions of this
place. Nineteen naves make up the
quadrangular plan of the early mosque,
divided by a double series of arches,
which combine Moorish arches and
semicircular arches. In addition to
alternating brick with stone, and red
with white, other decorative elements
were used, such as sculpted marble,
stucco, mosaics, and plasterwork.
The Cathedral and Mosque now form a
unique architectural space because,
during the Reconquest, it was decided
that a Gothic-style cathedral would be
built inside the mosque itself. With the
passing of time, Plateresque and Baroque
elements came into play. Thus, barrel
vaults and Baroque ornaments fuse with
geometrical motifs and verses from the
Koran.
Another Muslim-Hispanic legacy is the
Jewish quarter, which runs from the
mosque to the walls and the Almodovar
Gate. It is made up of a network of
narrow streets with whitewashed façades,
adorned with tiles and grilles. The
Plazuela de las Flores is located in
this district, as well as the house of
the Dukes of Medina Sidonia, and the
Synagogue, the only one that still
stands in the city.
In the 13th century, under the reign of
Fernando III, the Saint, new defensive
structures were built, such as the
Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos (the
Fortress of the Christian Monarchs) and
the Tower of Calahorra. The Alcázar is a
defensive structure on the banks of the
Guadalquivir River, protecting
magnificent gardens, fountains and water
channels inside. On the other side of
the Triumph of San Rafael sculpture and
the Roman bridge, rises the Tower, which
used to be part of a walled castle.
The city of Cordoba is organised around
numerous squares. The Plaza del Potro,
the Plaza de Corredera and the Plaza de
Capuchinos, where the Christ of Los
Faroles is kept, are three beautiful
examples of these meeting points for
Cordovans. Among the numerous buildings
in the historic quarter, it is pointing
out the churches of San Pedro, San
Andres and La Compañia.
In addition, there are several
outstanding museums, such as the
Bullfighting Museum, the Archaeological
Museum, the Regional Museum of Fine Arts
and the Julio Romero de Torres Museum.
The Archaeological Museum, located in
the Renaissance palace of Paez, shows
Iberian, Roman, Visigoth, Muslim,
Mudejar and Renaissance pieces.
The Fine Arts Museum, located in the old
Charity Hospital, houses an interesting
collection of work by mainly Andalusian
artists. It is worth mentioning the
drawings of Valdés Leal, Zurbarán,
Murillo, Palomino, Antonio del Castillo
and Juan de Peñalosa, as well as the
sculptures of Juan de Mesa and Mateo
Inurria.
The Julio Romero de Torres Museum shares
a courtyard with the Museum of Fine Arts
and brings together the works of the
Cordovan painter, who achieved great
popularity with his populist symbolism,
images with a certain aura of mystery.
The recently opened Diocesan Museum of
Fine Arts, in the old Episcopal Palace,
dedicates a room to artists from the
province. The room dedicated to medieval
art is outstanding, as is the tapestry
collection and the choral books from the
Cathedral.
The Casa de las Bulas(16th century)
houses the Bullfighting Museum, which
displays collections related to the
world of bullfighting, many of them
closely linked with the city's
bullfighting tradition.
Cordoba also has important arts centres
very worthy of mention, such as the
Merced Palace, headquarters of the
provincial council, and the Palace of
Viana, also known as the Courtyard
Museum. In its halls, besides the rich
fittings, important painting, tapestry,
porcelain, tile, and firearms
collections are kept.
No less remarkable are the numerous
Cordovan exhibition halls, such as the
Bartolome Bermejo Room, the Alarife
Gallery, and the Chapter House.