Exploring Cordoba- A City of 3 Religions

These are the ruins of the ancient city of Madinat al-Zahra. It was once a vibrant bustling city built by a Muslim Caliph to display his influence and power at the time. This was the entrance to the private residence of the Caliph! Thankfully even though it seemed like it was going to downpour, the rain held up for a few hours as we toured the ruins of Madinat al-Zahra, adding an ominously beautiful backdrop to all the pictures we took that day. The Alminar (or Minaret) of the Old Mosque of Cordoba rises above many of the modern-age buildings of the city of Cordoba, continuing to make its presence known in the city thousands of years after it was first built. In our art and architecture class we'r learning how to identify different styles of arches in Islamic architecture so to be able to see the things we're learning about in class, "come to life" while we're touring sites is really cool! This is the inside of the Cathedral that was built inside of the old mosque of Cordoba, by the Christians after they conquered Cordoba from the Arabs centuries ago. The combination of the Christian elements of the Cathedral and the Islamic architecture of the Mosque it was built inside of, was just so fascinating to me! This was the inside of the beautiful centuries old Synagogue we visited on our trip to the Jewish quarter of Cordoba. It's simplicity was so incredibly peaceful and beautiful. This is one of the ancient Hebrew verses that are inscribed on the walls of the synogogue we visited. I found this painting of a famous ancient Jewish poetess to be so beautiful! Unfortunately, I don't remember what the tour guide said her name was.

Our day-trip to Cordoba was amazing! Cordoba is truly a city of 3 religions. You can see evidence of the Islamic, Christian, and Jewish pasts of this magnificent city almost everywhere you go in the city and it’s rich mix of cultures lures you in at every turn. Cordoba is definitely a city everyone should visit when in Spain! I hope you enjoy the pics!

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