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Interior of the Córdoba Mezquita with its red and white two-tone arches
Al-Andalus

Qurtuba, jewel of the Caliphate

In the 10th century, Córdoba was the largest city in Western Europe, ahead of Constantinople and Baghdad. At its peak, it had 500,000 inhabitants, 3,000 mosques, and a library of 400,000 volumes — in an era when most European cities counted a few thousand souls.

In 711, Arab-Berber troops led by Tariq ibn Ziyad crossed into the Iberian Peninsula. Córdoba — Qurtuba in Arabic — became the capital of Al-Andalus within decades. When Abd al-Rahman III proclaimed the Caliphate in 929, the city entered a century of intellectual and architectural production that still defines it today.

500 000

inhabitants in the 10th century

3,000

mosques in the city

400,000

volumes in the library

300

public baths

UNESCO Heritage

The Great Mosque of Córdoba

Begun in 786 by Abd al-Rahman I on the site of a Visigothic church, the Mezquita was enlarged four times. With 23,000 m² and 850 columns, it was the largest mosque in the world after Mecca.

  • 856 columns of jasper, marble and granite
  • Mihrab decorated with Byzantine mosaics gifted by the Emperor of Constantinople
  • Red and white horseshoe arches, a unique architectural innovation
Visit the Mezquita Guided tour in English

The expansions

  • 786 Initial construction by Abd al-Rahman I
  • 833 First expansion by Abd al-Rahman II
  • 961 Al-Hakam II creates the current mihrab
  • 987 Al-Mansur doubles the floor area
UNESCO 2018

Medina Azahara, the palace city

Built from 936 by Abd al-Rahman III, Madinat al-Zahra (the "brilliant city") served as the administrative seat of the Caliphate for 75 years. The complex covered 112 hectares — three concentric terraces cut into the Sierra Morena foothills, housing 10,000 people at its height.

During the civil war of 1009-1010, the fitna, the palace was stripped and burned. It remained buried for centuries before excavation began in the 1910s. Only 10% of the site has been uncovered.

Visit Medina Azahara

Practical info

  • Distance: 8 km from Córdoba
  • Access: Shuttle bus from the centre
  • Duration: Allow 3 hours
Guided excursion Free walking tour (Mezquita, Judería, Roman Bridge)
Ruins of Medina Azahara, the caliphal palace city of Córdoba
Medina Azahara, the palace city built by Abd al-Rahman III from 936

The great thinkers of Córdoba

Córdoba was a city where Muslim, Jewish and Christian scholars worked in the same milieu. The Arabic term for this coexistence — convivencia — produced thinkers whose influence on European philosophy and medicine lasted centuries.

Averroes (1126–1198)

Philosopher, physician and jurist, known as "The Commentator" for his work on Aristotle. His commentaries were read in European universities for three centuries.

Philosophy, medicine

Maimonides (1135–1204)

Rabbi, philosopher and physician, author of The Guide for the Perplexed. Born in Córdoba, he left with his family when the Almohads arrived and banned the practice of Judaism.

Philosophy, theology

Al-Zahrawi (936–1013)

Considered the father of modern surgery. His illustrated medical treatise was used in European medical schools for five centuries.

Medicine, surgery

Key dates of Al-Andalus

711
Conquest of the Iberian Peninsula by Tariq ibn Ziyad
756
Abd al-Rahman I founds the independent Emirate of Córdoba
786
Construction begins on the Great Mosque
929
Abd al-Rahman III proclaims the Caliphate of Córdoba
936
Foundation of Medina Azahara
1009-1010
Civil war (fitna), destruction of Medina Azahara
1031
Fall of the Caliphate, fragmentation into taifa kingdoms
1236
Ferdinand III of Castile reconquers Córdoba

Experience Al-Andalus

La Judería

The old Jewish quarter is where the convivencia — Muslim, Jewish and Christian communities living side by side — is most legible in the city's streets.

The Synagogue

One of three medieval synagogues preserved in Spain, featuring Mudéjar stuccowork with Islamic geometric influence.

Hammam Al Andalus

Arab baths in a 9th-century building near the Mezquita. Thermal circuit, essential oil massages and original Moorish vaulting.

Preserved Al-Andalus Heritage

The caliphal period left its mark not just on monuments but on the city's built fabric. Two historic palaces now operating as hotels give visitors direct access to that layering.

Hospes Palacio del Bailio

This 16th-century palace blends late Gothic, Plateresque Renaissance and Moorish influences from the Islamic medieval era. Built over the remains of a 1st-century Roman villa, it shows how Córdoba has been rebuilt on top of itself, layer by layer, for 2,000 years.

The inner courtyards with fountains and azulejos, along with brick vaulting, echo the domestic architecture of Al-Andalus adapted into a Renaissance nobleman's palace.

La Ermita Suites

Andalusia's only official Monument Hotel, this 1412 building has passed through seven centuries and three cultures: an Islamic school, then a Jewish residence, then a Christian hermitage chapel. Its original caliphal arch is one of the few surviving examples of Al-Andalus residential architecture.

Restoration was overseen by Prado Museum conservators, preserving original medieval vaulting and period azulejos. Six suites with views of the Mezquita.

Explore the Al-Andalus Legacy

The caliphal monuments are the obvious starting point, but the Al-Andalus story runs deeper than the Mezquita alone. A day trip to Granada adds the Alhambra — the last great monument of Nasrid Al-Andalus, built after Córdoba's caliphate had already collapsed.

2-day itinerary Day trip to Granada UNESCO Heritage

Official sources

This guide draws on official and recognised sources to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.