Seville

Seville is a wonderful and quite big city, which is more than two thousand years old. The passage of the various people and its proximity to Córdoba has left the city with a distinct and strong personality, with an amazing well-preserved historical centre, which remained its heartbeat.  

The city is known as Hispalis. The nearby Roman city of Italica is well-preserved and gives an impression of how Hispalis may have looked in the later Roman period.

After successive conquests of the Roman province of Hispania Baetica by the Vandals and Visigoths, in the 5th and 6th centuries, the city was taken by the Moors in 712 and became an important centre in Muslim Andalusia. It remained under Muslim control, under the authority of the Umayyad, Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, until falling to Fernando III in 1248. The city retains many Moorish features like buildings and gardens (Alcázar!!!) , including large sections of the city wall.

Following the Reconquista, the city’s development continued, with the construction of public buildings including churches, many in Mudéjar (which is a mixture of Christian, Muslim and Jewish architecture) style.

After the silting up of the Guadalquivir, the city lost in its importance.

Wadi al-Kabir / Guadalquivir

… Wadi al-Kabir the Arabic for Rio Grande

Córdoba

Córdoba is located on the Guadalquivir River; and was founded in ancient Roman times as Corduba by Claudius Marcellus.

The old town contains many impressive architectural reminders of when Córdoba was the thriving capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba that governed almost all of the Iberian Peninsula.

Córdoba was the capital of the Roman province of Hispania Ulterior Baetica. Philosophers like Seneca the Younger; orators like Seneca the Elder and poets like Lucan expressed themselves in the palaces of Córdoba. It was the home of Averroes, Al-Qurtubi and Maimonides, who still continue to influence modern philosophy and literature…

It was captured in 716 by the Muslims, and Córdoba became capital during the Umayyad Caliphate, the period of its apogee.

In the 10th century, Córdoba, was one of the largest cities in the world, as well as a great cultural, political and economic centre. The Córdoba Mosque dates back to this time. In 1236 it was captured by the king of Castile.

Aljama – the Mosque of Thousand Columns, beauty of Còrdoba

Mihrab

Symbolism

Loving Mezquita

It is almost impossible to portray this masterpiece of architecture appropriately in photographs. However, I tried my best . Please see the amazing works in marble and stone, and the byzantine mozaics…

 

Under the Moors, Mezquita was known as the Aljama Mosque, at its time the second largest mosque in the world. Taking over 200 years to complete, the Mosque’s construction started in 784AD. With the capture of Cordoba by Fernando III in 1236AD the mosque was converted into a cathedral and almost all the outer doors were sealed. During Moorish times, the many open doors of the mosque let in light which made the structure brighter, and, one would imagine, a more welcoming place than it is today.

When the mosque was converted into a cathedral, a third of the pillars were removed for a courtyard. In the centre of what is left of the mosque, the arches were reworked and the ceiling raised, this space is now the heart of the cathedral.

Inside the Mezquita are row after row of arches and pillars. Many of the pillars in the Mezquita were pilfered from Roman ruins. If a pillar was too long, it was sunk into the ground and reshaped to fit in with the other columns.

Today, the Mezquita is the cathedral of Cordoba (officially the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption) and no longer a mosque.

Note: After the first irritation (which took quite a while, poor Alex got the whole load of it) I tried to see it from a different perspective: as a symbol for unity and faith, as a testimony that whatever differences we have, we all pray to the same God. Maybe one day the nations will see the futility of fighting for the own religion and start praying together to the one God.

This is my ardent hope for all of us.

 

 

 

 

Jannat al-’Arif

Generalife was the summer palace and country estate of the Nasrid sultans of Granada. Originally the palace was linked to the Alhambra and it is one of the oldest surviving Moorish gardens.

Qal’at al-Hamra – Granada

… very many years ago, really many, I saw a documentary on the Alhambra. I can not remember the details only the ardent wish, to one day see it with my own eyes. at that time, for a kid living in a communist country, the thought of travelling was not even a thought. I treasured that wish, together with those of seeing taj-mahal and machu-pichu.

12 years ago I was standing in front of taj-mahal. I remember the moment I had to take off my shoes to pass the gates. I remember the beauty of a grave and the sunshine bathing its whiteness. I am still touched by the memory of it…  I thought, the same feeling will overcome my soul in the moment I will pass alhambra’s gates.. but… nothing alike.

It took some time until I realized where I was… I was a part of that what was inspiration for poets, food for dreams and shine in children’s eyes.

In a lone second I kissed one of the many „la Ghaliba illa’Allah“engravings on one of the walls and felt grateful for being there.

Right now, I can not write more about the Alhambra, maybe some other time, when I can find the words to describe it …

Alhambra is that what remains after every word has been said.

see for yourself…