Cordoba is 2 hours away from Madrid by high-speed train.. The main center of the city of Cordoba is the section where the Cordoba Mosque, namely La Mezquita is located.
One of the 17 autonomous regions of Spain, Andalusia ie the Andalusia region has 8 cities. These are Seville, Granada, Cordoba, Cadiz, Huelva, Malaga, Almeria and Jaen.
Cordoba is a historic city built on the riverbed of Guadalquivir. This city, which was first founded by the Romans, was the capital of a province consisting of several Spanish cities at that time.. During this period, there was an ancient Roman temple where the Cordoba Mosque is located now.. Then the Visigoths settled in this region.
The Visigoths also built the San Vincente church over the Roman temple.. The church was used for about 30 years.. Muslim Arabs took over this region in 716.. The Spaniards used to call Muslim Arabs“moro“. Abdurrahman, the sole survivor of the Abbasid massacre of the Umayyads, comes to Morocco, his mother’s country.. From there it passes into Andalusia.. He determines his emirate as Cordoba, which is located by the river.. I in 756. Declares his Emirate as Abdurrahman. In 785, the construction of the famous Cordoba Mosque’ (La Mezquita) begins. And the Arabs attach so much importance to this region that they leave a lot of artifacts in this region.
Even though this mosque was first built in 785, it was enlarged by making additions 3 times with the directives of the later orders.. In the 16th century, 156 columns were destroyed and a cathedral was built inside the mosque with a total of 856 columns.. In this structure, Islam and Christianity are officially intertwined.. Columns have always been brought here from different ancient cities.. Generally granite, jade and marble were used in the columns.
The red and white arches of the mosque made of brick and stone are quite impressive.. A very nice texture emerged as it was too numerous in number.. Even the echo is different. Here, the guides make the necessary explanations by sitting the people on the church benches in groups.
The mosque is so wide that it seems like it has no end.. There are small chambers inside the mosque.. Each chamber contains statues, crosses, candles and flowers.. Christians pray in these chambers or make wishes by lighting candles.
The mihrab of the mosque is magnificent.. This place was taken under special protection and surrounded by iron bars. A picture inside this building is quite impressive.. The picture telling that the key to the city was presented to the Spaniards after Cordoba was captured by the Spaniards broke my heart.
There are many orange and lemon trees in its garden.. The fountains in the courtyard, on the other hand, are in the Christian architectural style, made with the influence of Arabian architecture.. This style was called mudejar.
The Jews who settled in Spain long before the Arabs. Jews first settled here in Cadiz.. Because the Jews came to Cadiz with the Phoenicians in 1100 BC.
When Isabel, who took Granada from the Arabs in 1492, told the Jews here to either change their religion or leave, these Jews took refuge in the Ottoman lands.. This is how Sephardic Jews were formed.
The region where the Jews settled in Cordoba is called Juderia. This is a region where narrow streets decorated with white houses like a labyrinth are connected to each other, and you will always try to follow the signs in order not to get lost on the roads.. As you walk these winding roads, you suddenly come across Cordoba Mosque again.
After our visit to the mosque, we leave the Duenas Gate on the other side of the garden and explore the side streets.. This street is the Street of Flowers, which they call Calle de Flores. Everywhere smells different. The flowerpots hung on the exteriors of the whitewashed houses add a lively atmosphere to these streets.. .There are also touristic shops, hotels and restaurants in places.. The streets are very crowded. The period when these streets are the most beautiful and colorful is the period of May 5-11.. Because at this time, the courtyards of all the houses decorated with flowers were open to visitors.. If it is so impressive as it is, who knows how beautiful the view in May will be…
There are many beautiful hotels you can stay in in Cordoba.. Located on the other side of the Guadalquivir River, Hotel Oasis is one of the beautiful hotels about 1.5 km from Kurtuba Mosque.. In addition, Hotel Maestre, which is located in the old city center of Cordoba and is close to the Kurtuba Mosque, within a 5-minute walk, is among the hotels that can be preferred.. You can also reach the Cordoba Bullfighting Museum and the Juderia Synagogue in just 10 minutes from the hotel.. These two hotels are very economical in terms of price.
If you want to stay in a luxury hotel, Eurostars Palace, located in the city center and within walking distance of the Old Town, is among the best quality hotels in the region.. The Mezquita, which are the places you would like to see in Cordoba, and La Juderia, a Jewish Quarter, are in the immediate vicinity of the hotel.. Or, if you’re looking for a mid-range hotel, you can choose Sercotel Hotel Selu, located in Cordoba’s main shopping area with lots of shops. Apart from these suggestions, you can go to booking.com for more hotel options here and you can make a reservation if you want.