Friday 1 September 2017

Pictures from Cordoba

Greetings! As part 2 of 4 of our trip to Spain in August, after exploring Madrid and Toledo, we took a two-hour train ride to Cordoba. This thousand-year-old city currently holds three inscriptions in the UNESCO World Heritage List:
  • The Mosque-Cathedral (1984)
  • The Historical quarter (i.e. all the streets and buildings) surrounding it (1994)
  • The Courtyards (2012)
One of the staff at where we stayed in Madrid told me that Cordoba is her grandfather’s home town, and that I’d love it. I could feel the pride in her statements. As soon as we arrived in Cordoba, I knew she was right!

It was my great pleasure to explore Cordoba, a living legacy of the different cultures that settled here throughout its history. Today I’m posting twenty selected pictures that I took during our stay in this ancient, unique, and beautiful city.

Pictures 1 to 4 - The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba interior space consists of over 856 columns and red and white, horseshoe and semi-circular arches. The original mosque was built in 786-788. Three subsequent enlargements were completed in 848, 966, and 991.





Pictures 5 & 6 - The Mihrab inside the Mosque-Cathedral with its ornamental plant motifs and rich mosaics from the Byzantine tradition (Tip: Remember to look up):



Pictures 7 & 8 - The Transept built in 1523-1606 as an immense skylight to inundate the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba with light (See above tip):



Picture 9 - The Mosque-Cathedral Bell tower as seen from the orange tree courtyard:


Picture 10 - One of the entrances to the Mosque-Cathedral courtyard:


Pictures 11 & 12 - Cordoba’s Alley of the Flowers (Calleja de las Flores) with the blue clay pots and hanging plants:

Picture 13 - A tranquil patio with attractive tile walls seen during our wanderings in Cordoba’s historic centre:

Picture 14 - Generous and delicious breakfast buffet at our 3-star hotel in Cordoba. There were more food and drink stations that I was unable to capture in one picture frame:

Picture 15 - The courtyard at our hotel in Cordoba, a lovely place to enjoy breakfast and/ or to read the newspaper:


Picture 16 - Cordoba’s Fortress of the Christian Kings (Alcazar de Los Reyes Cristianos):


Pictures 17 & 18 - Cordoba’s Alcazar as seen from its gorgeous gardens:



Picture 19 - Statues of the Kings surrounded by cypress trees at Cordoba’s Alcazar:


Picture 20 - The iron gate at Cordoba’s Alcázar:


I hope you enjoy the pictures. I’ll be posting my pictures from Seville and Gibraltar next. Please feel free to leave a comment. Which picture do you like the most?

You might also like:
  Pictures from Madrid and Toledo

Have a wonderful weekend!

20 comments:

  1. I don't think I'd heard of Cordoba before. It's beautiful though. I think my favourite of all of your pictures would have to be the statues of the Kings #LifeThisWeek

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    1. Cordoba is a gem. It's on the train route from Madrid, Seville, or Granada. Thanks, AA in SF, for dropping by.

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  2. I've always wanted to visit Spain. I've been to France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and Austria but I've never got any further south. Looking at your beautiful photos just makes the urge stronger!!!

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    1. Spain has a lot to offer, Kirsty. I hope you'll get to visit it soon. Thanks for dropping by.

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  3. Wow! Off to London this year and may have to organise a stopover in Spain!

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    1. Sounds like a great plan! Thanks, Jody, for stopping by.

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  4. So beautiful, Natalie. I've never been to Spain. Thank you for sharing about this trip,

    SSG xxx

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    1. My pleasure, SSG. Cordoba is a gem with lots to see and admire. Thanks for dropping by.

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  5. Absolutely amazing! how I would love to see all this for myself.

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    1. I hope you'll get to visit Spain. Lots to see and enjoy there. Thanks, Alicia, for dropping by.

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  6. Wow! What gorgeous pictures! Such a lovely place to see! Thank you for sharing. Feel free to share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party which is currently live. Here is the link to this week's party: http://www.thededicatedhouse.com/make-pretty-monday-week-245/ Hope to see you at the bash! Have a lovely week ahead. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse

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    1. Thank you, Kathryn, for your visit and invite to your link up. I'll hop over to your site shortly.

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  7. How beautiful is this place! I particularly like the mandalas I saw as you looked up!! Thank you for linking up for #lifethisweek 10/52. Next week's optional prompt is "My Last Meal". Denyse x

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    1. Thank you, Denyse, for hosting the link up. The art work details at Cordoba's Mosque-Cathedral, especially the ceilings, are outstanding.

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  8. Hi Natalie! I've been there last October and it was magnificent. It was an optional tour while we were in Seville and I'm so pleased I took the opportunity. Thank you for sharing your photos and also bringing back memories of Cordoba for me. Have a great week!
    Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond

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    1. I'm glad you took the optional tour to Cordoba. Thank you, Sue, for dropping by. Have a fabulous week!

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  9. WOW! What an extraordinary place. Thanks for sharing your snaps.

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    1. Thank you, Melissa, for stopping by. My pleasure to share my snaps.

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