Tuesday, February 1, 2022 - Cordoba

Yesterday I mentioned that I had a difficult morning on Monday because for some reason this city of Cordoba reminded me of my sister.  It didn’t really make any sense and I didn’t understand why.  But there was just something about the spirit of this city that seemed to manifest the spirit of my sister.  Today I found out why.  I don’t believe in coincidences.  Let me explain.  Early this morning I met with a private tour guide that I had scheduled back in December.  She took me to the mosque-cathedral, the synagogue, and the Alcazar or Palace of the Christian Kings as well as many other places.  I’ll share pictures later in this post.  Throughout the tour my guide pointed out many points of interest.  One of them were peacocks - carved into woodwork in the Cathedral, on a marble sarcophagus, and in the mosaic flooring as well as other places - spanning nearly 1,000 years.  My tour guide said that the peacock was a symbol of eternal life and used by nearly all the inhabitants of the area over the many years; the Romans, the Moslems, the Jews, and the Christians due to the cross cultural influence of one another here in Cordoba.  Here’s why I don’t believe in coincidences - my sister LOVED peacocks and had many of them in various forms in her home!  While my sister resides in heaven, her spirit is also alive and well for all eternity in this city of multiple cultures and my heart will now always be here in this sister city of mine.  Here are a few of those peacocks that I took pictures of:

Today’s tour was full of so much history and information, it’s difficult to explain it all.  And I took a lot of pictures.  So I will simply list them by category.  The first place we went was to the Mezquita Santa Iglesia Catedral.  This is the Mosque that was built over an ancient church that was turned back into a cathedral.  Underneath the floor, you can see the remnants of the original church from the 6th Century.  When the Moors moved into the area, they built a Mosque over top of that.  At one point in Cordoba’s history there were 1,000 mosques with 2 million inhabitants in the city and surrounding area.  This was the largest and could seat 45,000 worshippers.  It is massive inside.  When the Christians invaded from the north and took control of the Andalusian area, they expelled all the Moslems and Jews and worshipped in the mosque for 200 years creating a Christian worship area.  However, one of the later bishops petitioned King Charles V to build a grand Cathedral in Cordoba.  Rather than tear down the Mosque, they simply built the Cathedral inside of it.  First pictures are the early church.  Second set of pictures are of the mosque and the third set are the Cathedral.

It is difficult to comprehend the scale of the mosque from the pictures, as the Cathedral is in the center, and the mosque went through 4 stages of enlargement over the course of many centuries.

Shortly after the expulsion of the Moslems, the Christians entered the mosque, put up a temporary wall and a crucifix and worshiped in this section of the mosque for nearly 200 years.

And then built a Cathedral inside.

There’s also a small chapel, as well as 98 individual chapters, funded by wealthy inhabitants of the city, that surround the perimeter of the mosque.

Of the 1,000 original mosques in Cordoba, there is now only a single small one left.

And the synagogue:

The Alcazar; this was the palace of the kings.  Most of it is in ruins, but the gardens have been restored.  The statue out in the garden is King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella welcoming Christopher Columbus.  Side note: I’ve had some interesting discussions with a couple of people regarding Christopher Columbus and a European’s perspective about him.  But I’ll save that for a “talk” someday.

The citizens in Cordoba are particularly proud of their inner courtyards or Patio, as they call them.  Every home has one and there is a festival in May when many open them up to the public for voting.  The winners get prizes and they post them on their walls.  It is winter, so many of the courtyards are in the “resting stage”, but here are a few pictures and the picture of a typical kitchen.  When the city was densely  populated multiple families would live together in these areas, one family per room, sharing the patios and raising children together.

Cordoba is known for its embossed and painted leatherwork.

And finally, my only meal today.  I think the emotional toll this city had on me left me not very hungry, however, my lunch was very large!

The first was a tapas of potato salad with very tiny shrimp on top.  This might not be everyone’s “cup of tea”, but it is the whole shrimp; head, body, and outer shells.

The second was a local dish called a Flemanquin, which is diced ham inside a pork roast, breaded and deep fried.  I never though I’d hear myself say this, but it was too much pork!  I barely ate half of it.

After lunch, at 5:15, I walked back to my apartment and came across the remains of a Roman Temple discovered in 1950 when they wanted to expand City Hall.  This temple was constructed in 41 BCE during the reign of Emperor Claudius.  Many other buildings and more archeological discoveries are yet to be found underneath the current city and may one day be unearthed.

Tomorrow I head to Granada.