Study Abroad 2005...

The reason you should visit Córdoba isnt for the great location or the vivid night life but the Mezquita and the surrounding old Jewish quarter called the Judería.

Fridays here are rarely for class, they are for excursions, projects, the occasional exam or a day off. This last friday (Sept 23) was the 2nd of our excursions, and we didnt even leave Córdoba. We walked through the Puerta de Almodovar which was the entrance into the center of the Caliph´s city before he built himself a new palace at Medina Azahara.

We wandered through the old cobblestone streets lined on either side by old stucco buildings forming a literal labyrinth through an area of Córdoba just north of the Guadalquivir river. Winding through the narrow streets, our guide, Antonio, also our history teacher, led us through the archway into the Patio de los Naranjos (orange patio) in the middle of the Mezquita (pictures at http://images.google.es/images?q=cordoba+mezquita&hl=es&btnG=B%C3%BAsqueda+en+Google).

The Patio is enclosed on all sides by the walls of the Mezquita. On one side is the Mezquita itself, and the other the Torre do Campañas (bell tower). The patio is raised in the middle and has tons of orange trees planted between all the small channels that the muslims used to collect water (they had a huge obsession with water). They neither the orange trees or the patios cobblestones are part of the origninal 10th century architecture, although the mezquita and bell tower are. The gorgeous patio, with a fountain in the middle and all the ambiance of a garden in bloom was formerly the place used for worship when the muslims came to the mezquita for services.

Next we headed into the mezquita. Built in 784 A.D. it is the only mezquita left intact in Spain. Inside the mosque, there are 850 granite and marble columns supporting hundreds of striped arches made of rock and brick that create the red and white striped look. At one end is the prayer niche, Mihrab, covered in inscriptions in Kufic of the 99 names of Allah. The Capilla Villaviciosa lies in the same end and is where the Calipha (muslim king) worshipped, apart from the rest of the Muslim community. The muslim architecture, art, inscriptions and influence still remain in the former mosque, although during the Crusades, in 1236, Córdoba was conquered by the christians and a cathedral was build directly in the middle of the mosque. As you walk through the muslim mosque, you are all of a sudden thrown into the Cathedral which has all the same features as any other medieval church in europe including the ornate metalwork, carvings, and statues. On sunday mornings the sacerdotes (priest) even use the coro (choir dome) to sing.

The place is absolutely amazing. The architecture is different than anything else I have ever seen, and although coming to Córdoba i knew that there was influence from many different religions who had occupied the area, the Mezquita is the proof the the coexistence of the religions in the city.

After gauking at the beauty like a regular tourist or "giddies" as we foreigners are called here, we left the Mezquita and crossed one of the tiny streets to a place called Bar Santos, famous for its Spanish tortilla. Different from mexican tortillas, Spanish ones are made of egg and potato and are thicker. This one is so thick that they serve it in slices, like a pie. Santos lived up to its reputation, and I would call friday a successful (and educational) day in the life of Córdoba.

After that, it was back home for me to pack, because in a few short hours, I would be on the road to Portugal!!