Horses And Mosques and Cathedrals - Oh My

 Cordoba did not just become famous in  the 1976 TV commercial when Ricardo Montalban touted the luxury Corinthian leather for the Chrysler Cordoba. Dare I say, it has a much richer history than Ricardo let on.

Cordoba was the first of Spain's three most important Moorish cities and was established in 719AD. The Romans were actually there first and built in the early first century.

Roman Bridge of Cordoba
Originally constructed in 1st century

Molino de la Albolafia
A medieval Islamic waterwheel

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Puerta del Puente
16th century gate built to honor King Philip II, nephew of King Ferdinand of Columbus fame. 
The gate is part of the Historic Centre of Cordoba which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site

As I was wandering around the alleys of Cordoba, I came across the Royal Stables of Cordoba. At first, looking at the sign, I thought that perhaps it was one of those places where shows are put on to take advantage of the large tourist population. Well yes, this is a tourist attraction but it was once the actual Royal Stables, built in 1570 to breed the Andalusian horse. Andalusian horses are generally gray and were bred to be war horses. I was really torn between going into the stables themselves or heading into a large cheese show which was right next door. The Andalusians won out and I was glad I did because they were actually working the horses for the evening show.

After that brief equine moment, I did go thru the city gates to the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba. Officially it is called the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption. What is really interesting is that this was originally a huge mosque built in the 8^th century. By the time renovations and additions had been made, the mosque measured 590 feet long and 425 feet wide. I think that is bigger than a football field. When the Christians overran the Muslims, instead of destroying this mosque, they decided that they would build their Cathedral right in the middle of the mosque.

Patio de los Naranjos (Courtyard of the Orange Trees)
Entrance into the Mosque-Cathedral
There were originally fountains here where Muslims would perform wudu,
a mandatory ritual washing of the hands face, arms and feet before daily prayers.

The Mosque portion
These arches seemed to go on forever

The Cathedral altar

More of the Cathedral part - you can see how massive the original mosque must have been. 
Look at the height.