Córdoba III - From a reminder of homeland to the symbol of religious harmony

There are around 800 columns in this Mosque making me feel " infinite".

1. Mezquite – Cathedral de Córdoba – A Reminder of Homeland.

The Grand Mosque of Córdoba

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The Gate of Córdoba's Mosque.

In my opinion, the greatest monument that the Moors have left in Córdoba or in Europe is the Grand Mosque of Córdoba, which is the third largest one when it was finished in 785.

There is an interesting story behind this mosque, according to the most recent source, on this site, there used to have a Christianity Cathedral and an God Roman Temple, then, Prince Abd Rahman I came here, the whole city was kind of a dead city, Roma bridge was broken, people were poor and a part.

Abd al Rahman I had brought the Christianity Church, reused the columns of Roma Temple in order to build a brand new mosque for his kingdom.

As quoted from my travel guide book: "the Forest of columns within the mosque must have reminded Arab worshippers of a grove of date palms, because for them the date palm was the quintessential symbol of their distant homeland, just like the mosaic that adorns the reliquary in the Umayyad mosque, which symbolizes the fact that paradise is to be found in Damascus".

I have spent nearly 3 hours wandering and taking photos of this giant masterpiece. However, since it was forbidden to take photos with a tripod inside the cathedral, I had to try harder to have some beautiful photos.

After visiting the mosque-cathedral, I spent a little time walking on foot round the city, buying some cool water and fruit to cool down myself. (Córdoba is the warmest city in Europe, approximately 40 Degree Celsius during July. )

Then, I went back to my hostel.

Before leaving the hostel, I did remember having a good conversation with the receptionist who is a Muslim. I have told him that I admired the Islamic Art of Decoration, especially the mixture of Arabic and European inside the Mosque of Córdoba.

Islamic Decoration with Flowers & Leaves and Quran Words.

The Muslim guy seemed to be happy and proud of the Mosque–Cathedral de Córdoba. For him and many others, "Mosque de Córdoba" or "Catedral de Nuestra Senora de la Asuncion", in short Córdoba Church was still the procession of Muslim people. There are many lobby activities of Spain Muslims towards the Roman Catholic Church to allow them to pray in Córdoba Mosque-Cathedral.

However, in fear of Islamic return to Europe, Vatican has never accepted these requests.

Apart that, it was good news from the local authority of recognizing the new name of complex, Mosque-Cathedral de Córdoba, this is to recognize the works of Muslims and the perfection of Christians.

Personally, I hope, that one day soon in the future, I will see a miracle, in which Muslims and Christians can practice together their own religious in this Mosque-Cathedral de Córdoba.

It might seem as impossible, but if it comes true, it will be a milestone in the history of religion, Córdoba thus will become the symbol of religious harmony, so called: The symbol of respecting and ending the conflict between the two largest religions in the world.

Say Goodbye to Córdoba, I caught the bus to Seville, the capital of Southern Spain.

• Basic Architect of a Mosque.

Includes: Minaret Tower, Courtyard, Mihrab, Domes and Prayers Hall

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There is another place that I really wanted to visit in Córdoba, that is called the Shinning City- Medina Azahara palace of Abd Rahman III.

However, I did not have enough time to visit it. I hope that you guys will have time to visit it!

Photo gallery