During my trip to Andalucía last winter, Córdoba was a must-see. The picturesque city and most of its famed, historic architecture stand along the Rio Guadalquivir. The city is perhaps best known for the Great Mosque-Cathedral (or Mezquita). The structure has had quite the tumultuous past. From church to mosque to church once again, it has changed hands over the centuries. The mezquita’s present form reflects these shifts. As an art historian, the Mosque-Cathedral came across as an eye-catching juxtaposition of distinct traditions. As a Muslim, it was bittersweet. The primarily Moorish-built structure still functions as a house of worship but only for Christian worshippers. In recent years, the site has been the focus of repeated efforts to allow Muslims to use the space for prayer too. However, no progress has been made on this front.
We took our time exploring the enormous mosque-cathedral, surrounded by the aroma of frankincense and the sounds of the organ. We only had our imaginations to fill in how different the experience might have been when the building echoed a different call to prayer.
Like Granada, Córdoba is well-worth the visit when in Spain. The city itself is full of charm and history. And the Great Mosque-Cathedral’s interior certainly lives up to its description as a ‘forest of columns’. See for yourself:
A view of the bell tower from the courtyard. The tower was added when the mosque was converted to a cathedral. Nevertheless, the courtyard and the rest of the mezquita follow a traditional hypostyle mosque plan in which the rectangular-plan mosque has an open courtyard surrounded by arcades.A forest of columns. The building is enormous and the columns seem to go on forever. Scale was the first thing we noticed from the moment we entered.The style of the columns is also unique. The alternating red and white stone makes for a beautiful color contrast.The style of the arches goes back a long way. It’s been theorized that the double-tiered arch style was derived from Roman aqueducts in Spain. Many components of the building were also taken directly from antique structures in the region.The old Roman bridge of Córdoba predates the Muslims of Spain by centuries. The bridge has been repaired a number of times. The Moorish rulers were among these renovators. They are responsible for adding the tower at the end of the bridge.Inside, as one gets closer to the mihrab wall of the mezquita, the arches become more elaborate. The striated, scalloped arches are a feature of Islamic-Iberian architecture, as are the horseshoe-shaped arches.The mihrab is a masterpiece in marble with gold and glass mosaic. This elaborate style was a direct reference to Umayyad architecture in the east.Above the mihrab, the gold and glass mosaic style is continued in a dome. Arabic kufic-style inscription is used to adorn the walls with Quranic verses.A crossroads of cultures. Straight ahead is the maqsura, then the qibla wall. To the left is the area now used as a cathedral.The original mosque had a flat roofline but the cathedral additions elevated areas like this to create a grandiose effect. This area also lets in a lot more light which highlights the ornate decoration.The altar wall of the cathedral is adorned with paintings and Christian imagery. This area of the structure, in the middle of the forest of columns, makes for a striking contrast.A view opposite the altar. If you arrive early enough (8:30am) you can enter the mezquita for free before mass. At 9:30am, the building is promptly closed. From then, tourists must wait for the building to reopen after morning services.The exterior of the mezquita is stunning. Some of the features from the interior, like the striated, horseshoe and scalloped arches, carry over to the outside. From here, you also get a good sense of the building’s scale.
There you have it! The Great Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, a place that in many ways speaks to the intense religious history of the Iberian Peninsula. A place home to a ‘forest’ I would love to get lost in again.
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