The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, Spain

Granted World Heritage status in 1984, the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba is an extraordinary building which reflects the history of the city and its cultural diversity, a testimony to the presence of the two religions that have shaped this region of Spain: Islam and Christianity.

The site of the Mosque-Cathedral has been the spiritual heart of Cordoba since the 5^th century AD, when a Roman temple was erected here. The Visigoths later replaced the temple with a church, only for that to be demolished in the 8^th century to make way for the current building.

By that time, Cordoba was under Muslim rule, the Visigoths having been defeated by the Moors in 711. The occupation of Cordoba was just the beginning for the Moors who went on to conquer large parts of the Iberian Peninsula, establishing what became known as Al-Andalus.  

Cordoba became the capital of Al-Andalus in 756 when the exiled Syrian prince, Abd Al-Rahman I, arrived to the city and, taking advantage of feuds and unrest throughout Al-Andalus, declared himself to be the ruler of Muslim Spain.

In 785, the self-proclaimed emir ordered the construction of a mosque that was to be more beautiful than that of his homeland, Damascus. Using Roman and Visigoth elements and materials from the site’s previous structures, the mosque was completed in only two years.

On the opposite side of the hall, the naves opened out into an impressive porticoed courtyard, which was also part of the original building and the location for ritual purification prior to prayer. Since the 17^th century, it has been known as the Courtyard of the Orange Trees.

Over time, Abd al-Rahman’s successors extended the mosque and enriched it with elements of Andalusian art. Over the next five centuries, in addition to the prayer hall, the mosque would come to include many other outstanding features:

The need to call the faithful to prayer led to the construction of a minaret by Hisham I, who came to power upon the death of his father, Abd Al-Rahman I, in 788. The first minaret in all of Al-Andalus, it was built in the courtyard of the mosque.

Cordoba’s growing population meant that an extension of the prayer hall became necessary. Under Abd Al-Rahman II, eight new naves were added to the south side of the hall, with new Moorish-made columns being erected next to the already existing Roman and Visigoth ones.   

Some years later, Hakam II extended the prayer hall by another twelve naves. He also added a new, richly-decorated mihrab (a niche built into the qibla wall which indicates the direction of prayer) and a large maqsurah (an area that was reserved for rulers during prayers).

Early alterations to the building were limited, with the cathedral’s first altar being installed below one of the skylights that was added to the building as part of Hakam II’s extension. The walls of the chapel were adorned with beautiful medieval paintings.

In a show of respect for Andalusian tradition, the Royal Chapel was created in a Mudejar style, rather than Gothic. Christianity and Islam came together in a space in which plasterwork, latticework, Arabic inscriptions and Castilian heraldry exist side by side. 

One element of the mosque which didn’t manage to retain any of its original appearance was the minaret, though having been converted into a bell tower after the Christian conquest, its essential function of summoning the faithful to prayer has remained the same. 

After the tower had been damaged by an earthquake in the 16^th century, a decision was made to build a new, Renaissance-style structure around it. Now standing 10 metres to the north of its original location, with a height of 54 metres, it is the tallest building in the city.

Over the centuries, Cordoba’s Mosque-Cathedral has been a testing ground for building techniques which have influenced both the Arabic and Christian cultures alike. Added to and altered but never demolished, this architectural hybrid is today a truly unique artistic creation. 

In 1994, the original World Heritage property was extended to include not only the Mosque-Cathedral, but also the surrounding area and a number of historic buildings and monuments from Roman, Islamic and Christian times. The site was re-named as the Historic Centre of Cordoba.