Places to visit in Cordoba
Cordoba’s history as an important city goes back to the time of the Roman Republic and then the capital of the Islamic Emirate. Around the 10th century it was said to be the most populace city in the world being a center of education. During this period it was the intellectual center of europe with its Muslim society being very tolerant of the christian and jewish minorities. The greatest reminder to that time is the great Mosque/Cathedral in the center of old town. It is currently called the great cathedral and mesquita. Originally built as a church by the visagoths, it was expanded upon and turned into a mosque in the middle ages and eventually after the “Reconquista” it became a catholic church. No where else in the world will you find a flu cathedral rising out of a mosque. It is a spectacular work of architecture. If you go to Cordoba you absolutely must see it.
Around the old town you will encounter many private homes most of which of central patios as is the custom in the south of Spain. From outside the houses do not look like much but sometimes you will catch a peak at the interior patios if the door is open. For many years now, every May many of these home have opened their doors to the public in order to share their spectacular interior patios and garden. They have had so much success that the Patios are open all year around. An annual contest is held for the “best patio.” The residents cover the patio walls with potted flowers, usually geraniums of every color you can imagine. It has become a great source of pride for the residents. You can easily walk from one patio to the other, there are several routes to choose from. Below are some photos I took from last seasons contest. It is definitely well worth a visit.
If you are pressed for time during your trip Cordoba can easier be done as a stop either on your way down to Seville or Granada from Madrid or on the way back. I recently stopped for a few hours during a return train ride from Granada to Madrid. There is a place across from the station to lock up your bags. 4 hours is plenty of time to visit several patios and enter the Mosque/Cathedral too.
My recommendations for places to visit in Cordoba are: Cathedral/Mosque of Cordoba, the “Patios”, archaeological site of Madinat Al-Zahra (if you have more time)
