Loading ...Córdoba Still Defuses The Grandeur Of The Moors
BY: Habeeb Salloum/Contributing Writer
It was the sixth time I had travelled to Córdoba, the fabled city of Moorish Spain, yet it was as if I had entered it the first time. My heart throbbed as I walked its streets on my way to La Mezquita – six acres of architectural magic that was once the majestic Great Mosque of Córdoba, renowned throughout the Muslim world and beyond.
All around were reminders of the Moors from yesteryears. The ancient streets edged by Moorish-type homes filled with flowers, venerable houses of worship with traces of their Islamic days of yore and secluded plazas, all pointed to the city’s Arab-Muslim past. In my fantasy, it seemed that its once proud Moorish emirs and caliphs would, at any moment, appear.
My imagination was not too illogical for in its days of glory, from the 8th to the 13th centuries, Córdoba was the capital of Moorish Spain and the cultural and intellectual heart of Europe. Córdoban industry and learning were prized throughout the world. The city had a population from 500,000 to 1,000,000 literate inhabitants. Miles of its avenues were paved and brightly lit. Sewers carried away the refuse and well-kept parks dotted the town.
Above all, the city was renowned for its libraries – a number boasting some 400,000 volumes, and more – thousands of ornamented villas and palaces, countless baths and splendid mosques. Amid this grandeur, Muslims, Christians and Jews lived together in harmony and made the city Europe’s greatest centre of art, culture and learning.
Today, the city’s population is reduced to some 330,000, but it still retains traces of that fabulous age. In its clean-narrow streets; seemingly always newly whitewashed houses; flower-filled courtyards; churches, many of which were once former mosques; the old Jewish quarter, one of the best preserved in Europe; and a host of other Moorish remains, one can visualize what Córdoba was like in its days of Arab-Muslim splendour.
Overshadowing all these time-honoured remains is La Mezquita, now a cathedral – the city’s crowning jewel. Between the 8th and 13th centuries it was considered one of the wonders of the world, boasting 1,293 jasper and marble columns, 360 ornate double tier arches, 2,400 lamps and a dazzling mihrab of exquisite design – its walls inlaid with gold and its domed ceiling covered with multi-coloured mosaics. A masterpiece of Muslim art, the Mosque is said to have influenced the architecture of Europe’s medieval Christian churches.
When, in 1236 A.D., the Spaniards took over the city, the Mosque was converted into a church. Most of the doors and open archways were sealed and 40 chapels were built on the inside of these former openings. Later the centre of the mosque along with some 500 columns was removed and, in this space, a cathedral was erected. At the same time, the minaret was also partially dismantled and a bell tower was constructed on its remains, transforming the structure into a mosque-cathedral. Hence, its name today – Mezquita-Catedral.
However, in the last few decades some of the mosque’s original character has been to some extent restored. A number of the chapels have been removed, sections of the ceiling renovated and the cement from a few of the archways in the front has been replaced by tinted glass. It is as if its ancient Muslim past is beginning to awaken after centuries of slumber.
A few yards from La Mezquita is Palacio Episcopal, built on the ruins of the Caliph’s palace and next door is the Alcázar, after the Christian conquest, the abode of Spanish kings.
Famous for its flower-saturated patios and gardens with their pools and spouting fountains, it is a worthwhile stopover after a visit to the Mosque.
Nearby is a Roman bridge, rebuilt in Moorish times, spanning the Guadalquivir River – from the Arabic – Wadi al-Kabir (large river). Edging it are the ruins of Arab grain-mills – one with a renovated waterwheel. Standing guard at the bridge’s end across the river is Torre de la Calahorra, a former fortress housing the Museo Vivo de la Andalus, where multi-screen shows tell the story of Córdoba’s tri-cultural past. Using high-tech virtual reality headphones, a visitor will experience the living culture of Moorish Spain, its people, science, technology and music.
Throughout the old city and its outskirts, Córdoba is a virtual showcase of its Moorish past. The most important of that glorious era are the ruins of Madinat al-Zahra’ – built in the 10th century as a princely city by the Moorish Caliph Abd al-Rahman III for Az-Zahra’ (The Flower) for the woman he loved.
Located 8 km (5 mi) to the northwest of Córdoba, it was once a marvellous royal town. With its 4,300 columns of dazzling green, pink and white marble and jasper, to many travellers in that era, it was more incredible than the fantasies one finds in the Arabian Nights.
However, soon after its completion, it was destroyed by civil war. For hundreds of years it was forgotten until this century when excavation and reconstruction began. Today, visitors can glimpse some of its former magnificence in the rebuilt throne room and a number of nearby structures.
The best time to travel and see these monuments from the city’s Moorish past is during the first part of May when the Fiesta de los Patios is held. During this festival, the narrow alleyways of the old city become delightful flower gardens in which numerous events are held.
This whole section of Córdoba is transformed into balconies and patios overflowing with masses of flowers and the streets are enhanced by elaborately decorated carriages and horses mounted by colourfully dressed riders. The activities include bullfights, dancing in the streets, guitar recitals and flamenco competitions. Visitors and inhabitants alike get caught-up in the air of excitement and join in the celebrations.
At night, drinking, dancing and feasting go on until early morning. As befitting a once royal city, there are a variety of entertainment and many fine dining places – a good number of these serving excellent local dishes. Rabo de toro (oxtail stew), cordero a Ia miel (lamb roasted with honey), salmorejo (the original gazpacho – a Moorish invention), and suspiros de Almanzor (a pastry named after one of Muslim Spain’s greatest rulers) are some of the dishes visitors usually try in the peoples’ eating places of Córdoba.
During the celebrations in this urban centre of caliphs, one will be able to appreciate the magnificent legacy of the Arabs in Spain. Even though the city has been lost by the Moors for almost 780 years, their memories and handiwork are still very much alive.