Nave and mihrab of the Great Mosque of Córdoba

This lithograph takes us inside the Great Mosque of Córdoba, to the area preceding the entrance to the mihrab added during the expansion of Al-Hakam II, which indicated the direction that the faithful should face when praying (the direction of Mecca). We can make out every detail of the decorated voussoirs and the inscriptions on the rectangular moulding of the horseshoe arch, as well as the capitals and multifoil arches in the rest of the hall.
A series of engravings and lithographs of monuments, archaeological ruins and remarkable portable items from different provinces were released under the title Monumentos Arquitectónicos de España between 1852 and 1881. This publication, initially supervised by the Special School of Architecture and later by the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, enlisted the aid of professionals in different fields, such as photographers, architects, draughtsmen and printmakers from Spain and abroad, producing a work of superlative quality.
The National Archaeological Museum owns 147 of the 281 prints produced, pertaining to the three categories into which they were divided (pagan, Mohammedan and Christian art).