Cordoba Hotels

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Hotels In Cordoba Spain

 

Cordoba - General Information

The City

Located on the Guadalquivir river, in the province of Andalucia, Córdoba was the capital of the Moorish Empire that ruled Spain from the 8th to the 15th centuries. At its height, in the 10th century, it was the largest city in Europe. Today its most famous landmarks include the Mezquita mosque and cathedral, the Alcázar of the Catholic Kings – a fortified palace with luxuriant gardens overlooking the river – and the Torre de la Calahorra, a medieval tower now containing a history museum.

But there is more to Córdoba than a succession of historical monuments. The old Jewish quarter, called the Judería, has narrow, cobblestone streets, which meander as much as possible to protect them from the intense heat of the summer sun, and picturesque, whitewashed houses with flower filled balconies and patios. Many of the patios are also planted with orange trees, and the residents compete for the best one, throwing their doors open to the public during the “Los Patios de Mayo” in May. The more modern parts of Córdoba, meanwhile, have broad, tree-lined boulevards and are plentifully supplied with excellent fusion restaurants, upscale boutiques and stylish clubs. You can also catch a high-speed train from the station that can take you to Madrid or Seville within two hours.

Things to See & Do

1. Mezquita

Built on the site of both a Roman temple and a Visigoth basilica, the Mezquita was begun in 785 AD by the then caliph of Córdoba, Abd el-Rahman I, in honour of his wife. It grew over the next two centuries, under the supervision of various Caliphs and Emirs, and became the second largest mosque in the Muslim world. In the 16th century a Baroque Cathedral was placed, somewhat inelegantly, in the centre of the Mosque and the whole structure remains officially a Christian place of worship. Among its most impressive features is the Patio de los Naranjos, an immense courtyard of orange trees, palms and fountains, originally used for ablutions by Muslims before prayer. For here a wooden door opens onto the mosque’s centrepiece: nearly 900 pillars made of jasper, onyx, marble, and granite, which support 19 aisles of terracotta and white striped double arches. Some of the pillars came from the temple and basilica that stood here before the mosque, while others originate in Constantinople. The oldest is Egyptian and dates from the 14th century BC.

2. Alcázar

The Alcázar de los Reyes Christanos (Palace of the Christian Kings) is fortified, Mudejar-style palace beside the river built in 1328 by Alfonso XI. Used by the Inquisition from the 1500s until 1820, it later became a prison until the 1950s. Though the building is not especially grand, its true appeal lies in its lovely, Arabic-style gardens. Planted with cypresses, orange trees and palms and adorned with terraces, pools, and cooling fountains, they are the perfect place to retreat to in summer, when the weather in Córdoba becomes intensely hot. The Alcázar itself still incorporates Arabian baths, Roman mosaics, a marble sarcophagus from the 3rd century and three of its original towers. There’s also a small museum of local history.

3. Torre de la Calahorra

Situated across the Guadalquivir River from the Mezquita, at the southern end of the Puente Romana (the Roman bridge), the Calahorra Tower was built in 1369 as a lookout post guarding the entrance to Córdoba. It still commands panoramic views of the old city and contains the Museo Vivo de Al-Andalús, a museum focusing on Andalusia’s ‘three cultures’ – Muslim, Jewish and Christian – in the 12th and 13th centuries. Here visitors can take a guided audio/visual tour and will find, amongst other things, an exquisite miniature of the Alhambra at Granada, a display of Arab musical instruments, and wax figures of Córdoba's famous philosophers.

4. Bullfighting

Bullfighting takes place in Cordoba at the Plaza de Toros de Córdoba, during the annual ‘Feria’ Fair, which is usually held at the end of May to mark the feast of Our Lady of la Salud (Health). There is also a Bullfighting Museum (Museo Taurino), which occupies a former 16th-century aristocratic mansion called the Casa Zoco in Plaza Maimónides. Its exhibition includes displays of bullfighting equipment, old posters advertising bullfights and mementos of famous Córdoba-born toreros such as Lagartijo, Machaco, Guerrita, Manolete and El Córdobes. There are also two sections devoted to the crafts of leatherwork and silversmithing.