What is the Great Mosque of Córdoba?
Known locally as Mezquita-Catedral, the Great Mosque of Córdoba is one of the oldest structures still standing from the time Muslims ruled Al-Andalus (Muslim Iberia including most of Spain, Portugal, and a small section of Southern France) in the late 8th century.
What makes the mihrab of Córdoba so special?
It is built with recycled ancient Roman columns from which sprout a striking combination of two-tiered, symmetrical arches, formed of stone and red brick. Mihrab, Great Mosque at Córdoba, Spain (photo: wsifrancis, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) The focal point in the prayer hall is the famous horseshoe arched mihrab or prayer niche.
What is the mihrab in Spain made of?
It is built with recycled ancient Roman columns from which sprout a striking combination of two-tiered, symmetrical arches, formed of stone and red brick. Mihrab, Great Mosque at Córdoba, Spain (photo: wsifrancis, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
What is the history of Córdoba?
Córdoba is a two hour train ride south of Madrid, and draws visitors from all over the world. The buildings on this site are as complex as the extraordinarily rich history they illustrate. Historians believe that there had first been a temple to the Roman god, Janus, on this site.
What was added to the Masjid of Córdoba?
Among the most notable additions, Abd ar-Rahman III added a minaret (finished in 958) and his son Al-Hakam II added a richly-decorated new mihrab and maqsura section (finished in 971). The mosque was converted to a cathedral in 1236 when Córdoba was captured by the Christian forces of Castile during the Reconquista.
What happened to the church in Córdoba?
But the reign of religious pluralism in Córdoba didn’t last: in 784, on the orders of the Emir Abd al-Rahman, the church was destroyed and work on a great mosque began.
What is the difference between Mecca and Cordoba?
From Cordoba, Mecca is to the east-southeast, but the Great Mosque of Cordoba is instead oriented more towards the south. This orientation, which doesn’t match that of modern mosques, is due to historical differences in opinion about the appropriate direction of the qibla in far western Islamic lands like al-Andalus and Morocco.
What is the significance of La Mezquita?
La Mezquita. The Great Mosque: History and Exterior The Great Mosque of Córdoba (commonly referred to as La Mezquita) is one of the jewels of Islamic civilisation. It is to Córdoba what the Alhambra Palace is to Granada and the Giralda tower is to Seville, a unique focal point of identification, appropriated by Christians through conquest.