What a mess was made of the Mezquita.
It's a testament to religious intolerance the way this stunning mosque has had its architectural integrity ripped to pieces by religious Christian (or any such) domination. See below.
I focus my camera on the original Islamic elements.
"Once the biggest cities in all of Europe, Cordoba thrived and expanded with its unique blend of cultures. La Mezquita (the Mosque) is the most significant Muslim architectural achievement in the Western world. As a mosque, the building opened into a huge courtyard of orange trees. The Christians, in the dark middle ages, sealed the many exits to the courtyard and transformed the light and airy mosque into a dark and gloomy place. You can spend a long time wandering among the more than eight hundred pillars — literally a forest of colored marble — that grace the enormous hall.
The street leading up to the Juderia,(Cordoba Jewish Quarter), has whitewashed houses and colorful courtyards and shops. Cordoba's large Juderia is the best-known section of Cordoba's historic center, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1984 and is one of the largest in Europe.
Jews formed a part of Cordoba's cultural mix from as early as the 2nd Century until their expulsion from Spain in 1492. The narrow medieval streets of the Barrio de la Judería retain their names to this day and although not Jewish in their current expression, a few signs hint of the Golden Age of Jewish life. In the Calle de los Judios, for example, the statue of the great court doctor and Torah sage, Maimonides (Rabbi Moshe Ben Maimon) and the tiny, gem-like Maimondes Synagogue, which is one of only three remaining synagogues in Spain from before the Expulsion of 1492.
The Maimonides synagogue, built a hundred years after the great scholar’s death in Egypt, was named after him in commemoration of the fact that he was born only a few doors down the street. The meaning of the synagogue’s cryptic inscriptions remain a mystery. The statue of Maimonides is located in front of the house where he was born, the most famous son of a city whose streets are lined with orange trees. There isn't a word on the commemorative plaque explaining why Maimonides’ family left Cordoba; they were in fact fleeing the Almohad dynasty that forcibly imposed Islam on the city’s Jews and Christians.
As you wander down picturesque and evocative streets in the restored heart of Cordoba it's not difficult to imagine the days when Cordoba was one of the most important cities in Europe. " #
* Vesna Maric and Rafael Estefanía c/ Lonely Planet, Córdoba Fall-Winter 2014 Map
# adaptation of gourmand breaks.com 'Jewish heritage tour of Córdoba.'
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