By the time we arrived in Cordoba it was 11pm. We loved Toledo so much and were contemplating giving Cordoba a miss altogether so we could stay an extra night in Toledo. It would have meant losing money on our Cordoba accommodation but we felt it was worth it. After some deliberation we decided to just leave late in the day, sticking to the original plan of spending the night in Cordoba.
I didn't really know what to expect from Cordoba. Admittedly, it was a bit of a 'nothing' stop for me, a stopover just to break the trip between Toledo and Seville. I heard of the Mezquita from Hubby's cousin in Madrid but I had no idea what it was and didn't even look it up. I was just happy to BE there and wander the streets...so that's how the day started. Hubby, on the other hand, seemed to know a bit more and wanted to check it out so we just wandered along in the general direction of this 'thing' that we were looking for.
In the meantime, I noticed a little corner pastry shop called Horno de la Cruz that locals seemed to be lining up for. That's all I needed as an invitation to check it out. Without any clear idea on what we were doing in Cordoba, I was easily distracted. So in my best Spanish (which had improved slightly by now), I ordered a few pastries which Hubby and the kids 'inhaled' in 2 seconds. So I lined up for a second round of orders, then a third. The pastries, which were a mix of savoury and sweet rolls with chorizo, cheese and chocolate, were delicious. What more could anyone want? Although I would rather not think about how much butter, sugar and fat there was in those rolls.
After a 15 minute walk through the pretty streets of Cordoba, we knew we had found the Mezquita when Hubby was asked if he was Muslim. Then gypsy women with what looked like fake babies in their arms made a bee line for him asking for alms. I kept a safe distance behind making sure the kids stayed close to me. I found their persistence quite annoying but had to remind myself that this was just a practice run for the 'harassment' I expect when we get to Morocco.
Once inside the Mezquita it was a different world. It is absolutely beautiful! There are no words to describe it and even the multitude of photos I took to try and capture its beauty don't seem to do it justice. I had never been inside a mosque before so the simple sight of rows of red and white arches and columns that greeted us took my breath away. As we continued to walk through it, more beauty seemed to unfold at every turn.
We didn't get an audio guide, but even without one, the history was evident. The structure was clearly built like a mosque with heavy moorish design elements. At the entrance and throughout most parts, it is dimly lit with hanging lanterns and rows upon rows of pillars with red and white-striped horse shoe arches. Clearly not the usual layout of a Catholic Church. Further along, signs of Christianity start to appear. There are crucifixes and other symbols of Christianity around the edges and scattered throughout. In the centre lies the Cathedral in a mix between gothic and renaissance styles - more typical of the Catholic Cathedrals I had become familiar with. The vaulted ceiling, the well lit, ornate gold altar, the numerous statues and images of angels, saints and Christ, the elaborate choir area with its oversized organ were all a stark contrast to the simplicity of the intricately carved archways and the dimly lit stone pillars throughout the rest of the mosque. In this single structure, just visually and without any audio guide, there was a clear sense that Christianity had taken over (or taken back to be more accurate) what was once the domain of Islam.
Apart from all this, there is one striking feature of the Mezquita that I will never forget. It's the quibla wall - more particularly the ceiling of the Mihrab. Like I said, I had never been into a mosque, had no audio guide, and know very little about Muslims and Islam, going into the Mezquita quite ignorant about the whole thing. However, I noticed a wall towards the back of the mosque that seemed 'prettier' than the others. It looked special so I went to check it out. As I got closer I could see the detail, it was absolutely beautiful. Intricate and elegant mosaics on the wall with what looked like Arabic inscriptions of some sort in gold. The dome-shaped ceiling had the most beautiful mosaic work I have ever seen - and I thought painting ceilings was hard. This was so much prettier than any fresco I thought! The use of gold in this part of the mosque was also markedly different from the Christian parts where entire altars and statues were made from gold. Here the use of gold appeared more as a subtle complement, rather than an outright statement.
After taking as many photos as I could trying to capture the beauty of it all (and deciding I just couldn't), I stood there looking up at the ceiling for several seconds trying to take it all in. I could have stayed there forever.
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