CORDOBA, ESPAÑA

The main door into the Mezquita garden.

Another door to the Mezquita.

I really liked this stained glass and the light coming through onto the column.

I have a thing for doors...can you tell???

Okay, windows can be cool too!

The style of architecture of the Mezquita is known as mudéjar. So what is mudéjar?

Well, according to our friends at Wikipedia:

The Mudéjar style, a symbiosis of techniques and ways of understanding architecture resulting from Muslim, Christian, and Jewish cultures living side by side, emerged as an architectural style in the 12th century on the Iberian peninsula. It is characterised by the use of brick as the main material. Mudéjar did not involve the creation of new shapes or structures (unlike Gothic or Romanesque), but reinterpreting Western Cultural styles through Islamic influences. The dominant geometrical character, distinctly Islamic, emerged conspicuously in the accessory crafts using cheap materials elaborately worked—tilework, brickwork, wood carving, plaster carving, and ornamental metals. To enliven planar surfaces of wall and floor, Mudéjar style developed complicated tiling patterns that have never been surpassed in sophistication. Even after the Muslims were no longer employed, many of their contributions remained as an integral part of Spanish architecture. The term Mudejar style was first coined by José Amador de los Ríos, an Andalusian historian and archeologist, in 1859.

So there you have it my friends! Consider yourself learned! There will be a test when I get back!

One of the halls in the Mezquita.

Check out the geometric patterns and preciseness of the infrastructure:

The Mezquita dates back to the 10th century when Cordoba was one of the largest, most prosperous cities in Europe, outshining Byzantium and Baghdad in science, culture and the arts. It was built by emirAbd ar-Rahman, who was one of the greatest rulers in Islamic history. In the middle of the Mezquita now lies a Rennaisance cathedral, built around the 16th century, although the actual building was consecrated as a Christian place of worship during the 1200s with the changing of the times.

This was considered to be one of the most important doors in the Musim world. It faces towards mecca.

Outside the walls of the Mezquita.

In addition to the Moors, Cordoba also fell under Roman rule. This is what the Roman temple looked like back in the day.

This is what it looks like now!

An old Roman water wheel.

Although the streets in this town were not labeled...like seriously-- NO street signs -- it was all part of the adventure. I am actually getting better with my sense of direction. But getting lost is always fun too. You get to see stuff not mentioned in the guidebooks.