Mezquita of Cordoba

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Why the
Mezquita of Cordoba
is special

It is of both historical and architectural interest, in a significantly eclectic way.

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Mezquita of Cordoba
tips & insights

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History in brief

The site of La Mezquita originally bore a church. Then, after the Moors conquered Cordoba in the 8th century, they demolished the church and built the Mezquita (mosque). Five centuries later, the Christians regained ownership.

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During the
Moor period

The Mezquita of Cordoba was enlarged and enhanced into a vast, magnificent house of worship.

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Multiple
architectural styles

The Moors creatively used a variety of architectural styles including Persian, Mid Eastern Islamic, Roman and Gothic that together helped define Moorish architecture.

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The arches

One of the most striking design elements of La Mezquita is the double-tiered "candy stripe" arches supported by sculptured pillars (see photo).

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Christians
regain control

The Christians rewon Cordoba in the 13th century and promptly consecrated the edifice as a church but left much of the superb Moor-erected architecture intact. Their major alteration was building a cathedral within the mammoth mosque.

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Today

The building is peacefully divided between Muslims and Catholics (who use the bizarrely situated cathedral).

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