I was very excited to see the famous mosque (now a chruch) and get an introduction to Islamic art and architecture. Cordova is located in the center of Andalusia and not far from Sevilla, Málaga, Granada and Jaen. Unfortunately, we had only 24 hours to spend in Cordova as we headed north towards Madrid. That day was particularly HOT, definitely in the high 90’s and by 3pm was in the 100’s.

Cordova is a beautiful, quaint medieval city that looked like two different towns: one straight from the desert of the 1500s with old Islamic architecture and the other shiny, new and modern. The most unique structure in Cordova was the Mezquita. This mosque/cathedral is well worth the visit and is a unique place to see an amalgamation of Catholic symbolism and Islamic art and architecture.

New City

Like I said, the “new” city was very modern looking with shiny granite and lovely palm trees. Aaron and I arrived around 10am and checked in to our hotel, Hotel Macia Alfaros.  Aaron and I walked everywhere we needed to go from there! Luckily, Cordova is small enough that it is walk able and you are still able to get a good feel for the city in only 24 hours. We explored the new part of the city and made our way to the medieval section in the afternoon.

One of my favorite sights during our 24 hours in Cordova was seeing Archangel Rafael everywhere. There were pictures and statues of Rafael in the most unique places. He is seen ans the savior of the city because legend has it he protects the city from earthquakes that ravage the region. He’s seen on the highest points of every building, on bridges, and in paintings all over the city. 

Old City

Cordova was at its peak in the tenth and eleventh centuries and had almost a million inhabitants of Muslims, Christians, and Jews living peacefully in one city. Everything looked very reminiscent of other Andalusian towns with interlacing, tiles, columns and arches among other historical elements. The Roman Bridge spans the Guadalquivir River and is worth the views of the Alcazar from the other side of the river. The old town is so well preserved, you feel like you’re living in medieval times. It was such a fun place to explore, even though the heat was immense. If you are there in the summer, be prepared for 100+ degree days. 

Mezquita

Aaron and I saved the best for last during our 24 hours in Cordova. We spent our first evening at the hotel pool, but got up very early the next day to get to the Mezquita early. 

Expert travel tip for Cordoba: visit the Mezquita between 8am and 9am for free on Mondays! Just make sure you get to one of the entrances early. We arrived at the west entrance at 7:30 am and there was only a very short line and best of all, it was free! I was in absolute awe of the alternating red and white brick of the arches in the cathedral. It was magnificent! Another bonus of arriving early was there were few people so we could appreciate the expanse of the place. Below are some shots of my favorite elements of the Mezquita. This was definitely my favorite site during our visit!

I’m not sure if I’ll ever make it back to Cordova, but the Mezquita definitely made an impression on me. From Cordova, we headed north to another medieval gem: Toledo! Coming soon!