Skip to main content

Articles

Stories, history, and planning essays from Córdoba (Page 6)

Long-form editorial pieces written by resident correspondents: cultural deep-dives, food traditions, and practical planning essays for visiting the city.

View of the Guadalquivir river from Córdoba's south bank near the Roman Bridge, the Umayyad Alcázar towers visible across the water at dusk, medieval fortifications reflecting in the river, al-Hakam I Córdoba

Al-Hakam I: The Emir Who Crucified 72 Nobles

Sophie Marchand Updated

Al-Hakam I ruled Córdoba from 796 to 822 CE. Between the golden narratives lie three events: a banquet massacre, a suburban uprising, and 20,000 exiles.

Read
Hasdai ibn Shaprut in Córdoba's Caliphal court, a Jewish scholar in 10th-century Andalusian robes presenting an illuminated Hebrew manuscript to courtiers, golden lamplight on carved stucco arches, photorealistic composition

Hasdai ibn Shaprut: Córdoba's Jewish Golden Age Architect

Sophie Marchand Updated

Court physician, diplomat, and Hebrew literary patron: how Hasdai ibn Shaprut turned 10th-century Córdoba into the centre of Jewish intellectual life.

Read
Reconstructed marble reception hall at Medina Azahara palace ruins near Córdoba, Spain, sunlight casting sharp shadows across carved stone columns and geometric floor tiles where Lubna of Córdoba worked as palace secretary in the 10th century

Lubna of Córdoba: the slave who ran a royal library

Sophie Marchand Updated

Lubna of Córdoba was an enslaved mathematician who became secretary to Caliph al-Hakam II and helped build his legendary 600,000-volume palace library.

Read
Medieval spices of caliphate food córdoba: saffron threads, mastic resin, and cinnamon sticks arranged on a worn manuscript page, warm golden candlelight, Al-Andalus aesthetic

Caliphate Food in Córdoba: How Noor Rebuilt a Lost Kitchen

María Fernanda González Updated

Paco Morales spent years in medieval manuscripts before opening Noor. What caliphate food córdoba actually was — and how he rebuilt it without a single tomato.

Read
Stone interior of a Mozarabic church in Córdoba, Spain, with horseshoe arches in 9th-century style, where the martyrs of córdoba movement emerged, candlelight casting long shadows over worn flagstone under Umayyad rule

Martyrs of Córdoba: Why 48 Christians Chose Death in 850 AD

Sophie Marchand Updated

Between 850 and 859 AD, 48 Christians walked into Córdoba's courts and denounced Muhammad. Who they were, why they did it, and what split their own community.

Read
Interior of a restored Islamic hammam in Córdoba at golden hour, star-shaped skylights casting geometric light patterns on stone arches and a shallow pool with steam rising, photorealistic warm amber tones

Islamic Hammam Culture in Córdoba: City of Public Baths

Sophie Marchand Updated

At its Caliphal peak, Córdoba maintained a dense network of public hammams under Islamic law. The theology and rituals behind medieval bathing culture.

Read
Medina Azahara Salón Rico archways illuminated at night, carved Umayyad stone arches glowing against dark Andalusian sky, terraced hillside ruins, Medina Azahara night visit Córdoba

Medina Azahara at Night: Mercury Pools and Reflected Light

María Fernanda González Updated

Medina Azahara night visits run Fri–Sat at 9 p.m. (€15). What chroniclers recorded about the mercury-pool throne room and what the ruins look like after dark.

Read
Visigothic mosaic floor fragments with Christian iconography visible through glass floor openings in the Mezquita-Cathedral of Córdoba, showing 6th-century Paleo-Christian craftsmanship beneath the Islamic prayer hall

Visigothic Córdoba: What Stood on the Mezquita Site Before 785

Sophie Marchand Updated

What stood on the Mezquita site before 785? Roman Corduba, Visigothic bishops, and a contested basilica: the archaeology of pre-Islamic Córdoba explained.

Read
Quiet cobblestone lane in Córdoba Spain at dawn before slow travel day begins, whitewashed walls with hanging geraniums

Slow Travel Córdoba: How to Escape the Day-Tripper Crush

María Fernanda González Updated

The Córdoba operating system for slow travellers: timing windows, neighbourhood rhythms, market days, and siesta economics to outflank the day-tripper crowd.

Read
Close-up of a bowl of thick, creamy red salmorejo soup garnished with diced jamón ibérico and hard-boiled egg, surrounded by fresh tomatoes, garlic, olive branches, and pan de telera bread on a rustic Córdoba table

Salmorejo vs gazpacho: why Córdoba's stays thick

Pedro Del Pozo Updated

Seville got gazpacho. Córdoba got salmorejo. Both cities, identical climate, 150 km apart — yet completely different cold soups. Here's why the split happened.

Read
Interior of the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba with red-and-white striped horseshoe arches receding toward the gilded mihrab, warm amber light from above, the prayer hall empty and still, Córdoba mosque prayer ban

The Mezquita the Church Owns — and Muslims Can't Pray In

Sophie Marchand Updated

The Mezquita prayer ban dates to 2003, when Muslims were reportedly ejected mid-prayer. The Church registered it for a fee in 2006. Naming remains disputed.

Read
Ruins of Medina Azahara palace-city near Córdoba at golden hour, the colonnaded throne hall partially reconstructed, where Subh of Córdoba served as regent of the Umayyad Caliphate after 976

Subh of Córdoba — The Slave Who Ruled the Caliphate

Sophie Marchand Updated

Subh was a Basque concubine who became regent of Córdoba in 976. She put Almanzor in power, then spent a decade trying to bring him down — and failed.

Read