First Imperial Capital in Spain

Cordoba is Spain's first imperial capital, it grew to five hundred thousand population in the 9th century and became the seat of the western Islamic Caliphate, in direct competition with Baghdad, Damascus, and Cairo. Within Europe it had no equal other than Constantinople. The parallel between Cordoba and Constantinople is profound: the Great Mosque of Cordoba was turned into a cathedral after Christian conquest, while the Hagia Sofia cathedral was turned into a mosque after Muslim Turkish conquest. The Hagia Sofia was a grander building and built 300 years earlier, but in Western Europe the Great Mosque of Cordoba is the oldest and largest surviving place of worship, surpassing those in Rome.

We took a fast train from Malaga to Cordoba on Christmas day 2013, came and saw the Great Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. Unfortunately other sights were generally closed, and almost no shops and restaurants were open except for a few Jewish owned establishments. We had lunch at a Jewish cafe, and visited the Museum of Sepharad in the ancient Jewish quarter.

The Great Mosque was grander than what I expected, with very high ceilings throughout. The thousands of columns supporting a forest of arches are amazingly harmonious. The Baroque style Christian Cathedral built by Carlos V in the middle of the mosque rose much higher. It was an effort to outdo the Muslims. However, due to efforts of the local people to preserve Cordoba's ancient glory, much of the original mosque architecture was unaltered even with the construction of the Christian cathedral. The original red and white arches often were directly incorporated into the walls of the cathedral. Visually the juxtaposition is somewhat comical. There has been suggestion to move the Christian Cathedral to another location, but I believe leaving the history intact is preferable, it gives visitors a chance to ponder the spiritual struggles by Spanish Christians to rationalize their Islamic past.

In the historic Jewish quarter we came across statues of Cordoba's illustrious Muslim and Jewish leaders: Al-Hakam II, and Maimonides. The Museum of Sepharad contains an active synagogue operated by Cordoba's current Jewish community, and a museum showcasing Jewish life in Al-Andalus (Arabic name for Islamic Spain). The museum also has a poignant section on the brutal persecution of Jews by the Spanish Inquisition. I heard the Museum at the Calahorra Tower (in Cordoba) contains a simulated dialogue between three religions during the era of Al-Andalus; if anyone would bring up this topic it would be people of Cordoba whose history is intertwined with the three religions.