Córdoba, Spain
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Location within Europe, Spain and Andalusia |
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Córdoba, the Roman bridge and the Mosque-Cathedral |
Córdoba, also called Cordova, is a
city in
AndalucÃa, southern
Spain, and the capital of the
province of Córdoba. Located at 37.88° North, 4.77° West, on the
Guadalquivir river, it was founded in
ancient Roman times as
Corduba by
Claudius Marcellus. Its population is 321,164 as of
2005.
Today a moderately sized modern city, the old town contains many impressive architectural reminders of when Córdoba was the thriving capital of the
Caliphate of Cordoba that governed almost all of the Iberian peninsula. It has been estimated that Cordoba, with up to 500,000 inhabitants, was the largest city in the world in the tenth century aside from
Byzantium.
Córdoba was the birthplace of four famous philosophers: the Roman
stoic Seneca, the Muslim
Averroes, and the Jewish
Maimonides and possibly
Abraham Cohen de Herrera. Córdoba was also the birthplace of the Roman poet,
Lucan and (more recently) of several
flamenco artists including
Paco Peña,
Vicente Amigo, and
JoaquÃn Cortés.
Roman Córdoba in Hispania Baetica
In Roman times, the city had more cultural buildings than Rome. It was the capital of the province of
Hispania Baetica. Remains of the
Roman Temple built by Claudius Marcellus, the Roman Bridge (
illustration, right) and other Roman remains can still be seen around the city.
Caliphate of Córdoba
Córdoba (
Arabic قرطبه Qurá¹ubah) was conquered by the
Moors in
711, and Moorish influence can still be felt in the city. During the time of
Islamic rule, Córdoba was the largest city and arguably embodied the most sophisticated culture and the most developed bureaucracy in Europe. When the
Umayyad Caliphs were deposed in
Damascus in
750, the dynasty relocated to Córdoba, ruling an emirate there until
929. When
Abd-ar-rahman III submitted a rival claim to the title of Caliph, then held by the
Abbasids in
Baghdad, he assumed the title
Caliph of Cordoba and transformed his kingdom from an
emirate or
sultanate into a
caliphate.
Córdoba reached its peak in the 10th century, under three great rulers: the first Caliph, Abd-ar-rahman III (
"al-Nasir," 912â€"61), his son
al-Hakam II (961â€"76) and the dictator
Al-Mansur Ibn Abi Aamir, more familiar as Almansor, "the Victorious," (981â€"1002). The 10th century Caliphate of Córdoba was the largest, culturally the most sophisticated polity in all Europe. Contemporary chroniclers, all of them Arabic, like the geographer Ibn Hawkal in 948, marveled, "The amount of coins in circulation! The variety of crops grown! the people! "the textiles! the gardens! the mosques!" â€" there were more than 1,000 mosques and 600 public baths.
It is believed that Córdova was the largest city in the world from 935 to 1013 [
1].
The German Emperor
Otto I sent his emissaries to the Caliph; But in the 1020s and 1030s the whole imposing political structure collapsed, fissioning into more than a dozen successor statelets, known to historians as (the
reinos de taifas) such as
Seville,
Badajoz,
Toledo,
Saragossa,
AlbarracÃn,
Valencia,
AlmerÃa and
Granada. While they were heirs to the wealth of the Caliphate, their instability and endemic hostilities among themselves made them vulnerable to attacks from the Christian north. The history of Córdoba after the mid 11th century shrinks to the story of the city and its immediate hinterland.
The most important monument in the city is the former
Mosque (the 3rd largest mosque in the world), known as the
Mezquita. After the conquest, the Christians rebuilt the
cathedral that had once stood before it was 'converted' into the mosque.
Another splendid monument is the city (in ruins)
Medina Azahara (Arab: Madinat Al-Zahra). Other important monuments are the
Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, where in
1492,
Christopher Columbus got permission to travel to the "
Indies". The califal baths and its churches and typical streets of the Jewish quarter
JuderÃa.
Christian Córdoba
Córdoba was recovered from the Muslims by the Christians as part of the
Reconquista in
1236, and the city became a center of activity against the remaining Islamic regions.
Modern Córdoba
Córdoba currently is the only provincial capital in Spain where the city government is controlled by the
Communist Party of Spain.
Surviving
Renaissance monuments in Córdoba include the
Palacio de Viana, the city's
Ducal Palace.
Córdoba is also known for its floral
patio arrangements. Residents take great pride in their patios and compete to have the most beautiful.
*
Manchester *
Saint Pelagius of Cordova* http://www.infocordoba.com An insider's guide to visiting Cordoba.
* http://www.cordoba24.info/english Attractions, hotels, restaurants, activities
* http://www.castillosnet.org/cordoba/index1.shtml
*
Cordobapedia
