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Illustration of Averroes as a grey-bearded Andalusian scholar in a turban and long robes, seated with a quill and an open manuscript on a carved stand in a Córdoba courtyard with orange trees and horseshoe arches
Philosopher Physician Writer Taifas, Almoravids & Almohads1031–1236

Averroes

Lived 1126–1198 (about 72 years)

Also known as
Ibn Rushd, Averroës

Averroes (Ibn Rushd) was born in Córdoba on 14 April 1126 into a family of jurists. He grew up to be the city's judge and one of the medieval world's most thorough readers of Aristotle. He became qadi of his hometown in 1171, served as royal physician at the Almohad court, and between 1169 and 1195 wrote commentaries on most of Aristotle's works.

His last years were harsher. In 1195 a tribunal condemned his teachings, ordered his works burned and banished him to Lucena. He died in Marrakech in 1198, and his body was later brought back to Córdoba for a second funeral.

What remains of him in the city is small and easy to walk past: a sculpture of Averroes stands on Calle Cairuán, the street that runs along the wall from the Almodóvar Gate. Start with Calle Cairuán and the Almodóvar Gate, then read about Maimonides, another philosopher the city produced in the same century. For the full account of his life and ideas, read the full story.

The full story

Places to see

Torre de la Calahorra at the southern end of the Puente Romano de Córdoba
Torre de la Calahorra
The Torre de la Calahorra seen from the Roman Bridge, housing the Museo Vivo de Al-Andalus in Córdoba
Museo Vivo de Al-Andalus
Narrow whitewashed alley in Córdoba's Jewish quarter with flower pots and the Mezquita bell tower visible in the background
Jewish Quarter Heritage Walk
The striped arches of the Mezquita-Catedral interior in Córdoba, showing Islamic columns and Christian cathedral elements coexisting in the same space
Three Cultures Heritage Route

In their time

  1. Taifas, Almoravids & Almohads

    1031–1236

    The caliphate broke into taifa kingdoms in 1031, and Córdoba later passed between local rulers and the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties. Averroes and Maimonides were born here, though Maimonides' family fled Almohad rule around 1148.

    1. Ibn Zaydun

      1003–1071 Historical figure

      Ibn Zaydun (1003–1071), Córdoba-born poet of al-Andalus, and the Monument to the Lovers where his romance with Wallada is remembered. Read the full story.

    2. Maimonides

      c. 1138–1204 Historical figure

      Maimonides (Moses ben Maimon) was born in Córdoba c. 1138 and died in Cairo in 1204. Find his statue in the Judería and the best place to read his full story.

    Undated

    1. Torre de la Calahorra

      Monument

      12th-century Islamic tower at the end of the Roman Bridge. Museum of Al-Andalus with rooftop views of the Mezquita and Guadalquivir. €4.50 adult entry.

    Go deeper

Read more

Photorealistic interior of the Mezquita-Catedral of Córdoba showing red-and-white striped Umayyad arches receding into shadow, warm golden light, evoking the ziryab cordoba court culture of Abd al-Rahman II in the 9th century
Ziryab: The Musician Who Invented Your Dinner in Córdoba
Bronze statue of Maimonides seated in scholarly robes in Plaza de Tiberiades, Córdoba's Judería, warm afternoon light on ochre stone walls, photorealistic composition
Maimonides: Córdoba's Philosopher Who Changed Judaism
Ibn Hazm writing the Ring of the Dove in medieval Al-Andalus Córdoba, scholar at a candlelit desk with Arabic manuscript and quill, warm ochre tones, photorealistic
Ibn Hazm's Ring of the Dove: Córdoba's Love Treatise
The remnants of Madīnat al-Zahrā's grand halls where Al-Hakam II's legendary 400,000-manuscript library once stood, destroyed during the Fitna civil war. Al-Hakam II library Córdoba.
Al-Hakam II's Library: 400,000 Books That Vanished