Cordoba is situated in the
Andalusia region of Spain. When the Moors
conquered Spain in 711, they made Cordoba
their capital and during the 11th Century
it grew into one of the largest and most
cultural cities of Europe. Great monuments
include the Moorish mosque, or Mezquita,
called Medina Zahara, “Alcazar de
los Reyes” with its statues and garden;
Puente Romano Bridge, Museo Vivo de Al-Andalus
and Museo Arqueologico.
As well as its culture, Cordoba is a very
lively town in the best Andalusian tradition;
a town of Flamenco and bullfighting, and
certainly one of the most attractive destinations
in southern Spain.
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Cordoba was founded by the Romans and due to
its strategic importance as the highest navigable
point of the Guadalquivir River, it became a port
city of great importance, used for shipping Spanish
olive oil, wine and wheat back to Ancient Rome.
The Romans built the mighty bridge crossing the
river, now called "El Puente Romano".
But Cordoba's hour of greatest glory was when
it became the capital of the Moorish kingdom of
El-Andalus, and this was when work began on the
Great Mosque, or "Mezquita", which –
after several centuries of additions and enlargements
– became one of the largest in all of Islam.
When the city was reconquered by the Christians
in 1236, the new rulers of the city were so awed
by its beauty that they left it standing, building
their cathedral in the midst of its rows of arches
and columns, and creating the extraordinary church-mosque
we see today.
As well as the unique mosque-cathedral, Cordoba's
treasures include the Alcazar, or Fortress, built
by the Christians in 1328; the Calahorra Fort,
originally built by the Arabs, which guards the
Roman Bridge, on the far side of the river from
the Mezquita, and the ancient Jewish Synagogue,
now a museum. Cordoba's medieval quarter, once
the home of the Jewish community, is called "La
Judería" (The Jewry), a labyrinth
of winding, narrow streets, shady flower-filled
courtyards and picturesque squares such as La
Plaza del Potro. In early May, homeowners proudly
festoon their patios with flowers to compete for
the city's "most beautiful courtyard"
contest.
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