Cordoba

Sorry I haven't blogged in awhile, I have been very busy with midterms and my parents visiting. I went to Cordoba with my program. Cordoba was one of the major cities of the Muslim empire in Spain. First we made a stop at the ruins of the caliph's city. It was a few minutes drive from the main center of town and was built to show the power of the caliph. Foreign dignitaries were invited to meet the caliph and discuss alliances or ask for protection here. It was covered for centuries by dirt and just discovered a few decades ago. They started to rebuild parts of it, however, they are currently waiting to do any further rebuilding. After learning about the history of Cordoba here, we traveled to the city center. There I had a picnic lunch, followed by a paseo around Cordoba. Then we went as a group into the mosque/cathedral. It is the oldest mosque in Europe and when the Catholics conquered Cordoba they built the cathedral inside of the mosque. Usually they would have torn down the mosque and built a cathedral on the ruins, but the people in the city thought it was wasteful to tear down such a beautiful mosque, so they simply built a cathedral inside. When you first walk in, there is an open air courtyard surrounded by the walls of the mosque. The beauty is absolutely breathtaking once you enter the mosque. Then after walking around the mosque, you happen upon the cathedral, which is also amazing. It is mostly white marble such a contrast to the mosque surrounding it. I really enjoyed the mosque/cathedral as well as seeing the ancient city. It gave me a greater appreciation for the history of Spain, especially in regards to the history between the Muslims and Christians.

View from the top of the caliph's city. 

Looking down on the palace of the caliph. 

Entrance to the mosque/cathedral.

Inside the mosque.

Alter of the cathedral. 

Muchos besos,
~Elizabeth~