Cordoba, Christian and Muslim and Jewish

Cordoba, Roman Bridge
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Beautiful Cordoba, city of Romans, see Roman Cordoba, Visigothic Christians, Muslims, Catholic Christians. The lovely Guadalquivir River, now much silted in. But the old grandeur is all around.

Look at that distance to the Mosque-Cathedral, from the perspective of people like us, who drive, and who have to park on the far side of the Puente Romana, the Roman Bridge, and walk, leaving luggage behind. There is always the hovering concern that oops, on the return, empty car.

That's me looking back fitfully, in great hopes of seeing it all again when we returned. Cordoba, Puente Romana

We are hugely vulnerable to evildoers - any around would know there will be several hours before we walk back. So what.

Go anyway.

We've only been burglarized once - in the Blarney Castle parking lot, in Ireland - see Ireland Road Ways, Blarney post. Lost it all, including passport and ticket, so what more can happen. Spain was great.

We often do pay someone who happens to be standing nearby, and ask the impossible - could they watch the car, no way of enforcing that, but it is a human connection only.  They could be the first to barge into it, knowing we were walkers and not coming back soon.

No problem. So what if it all disappeared? Health counts, the second pair of jeans doesn't.

On the other side of the river is, the old Mezquita (Mosque) that was later, after the Muslims were defeated in 1492, included in a vast Roman Catholic Cathedral.

Cordoba, Cathedral incorporating the Mosque
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Cordoba was governed by the Muslims 929-1031 AD, and was a foremost intellectual center in Spain and (this site says) in all of Europe. See ://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sumay/hd_sumay.htm. There was a large Jewish Quarter, that now is a destination in itself, and the walk on the way to the Roman ruins, see next post, but the Jews were all expelled by the Christian (?) Ferdinand and Isabella by edict in 1492.

Some background: Spain, a Visigothic Christian kingdom mostly, was invaded by Muslims in 711, and ruled by them from overall about 711 to 1492. The Muslims were defeated by the Christian King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in 1492. Thus, Spain was an Islamic territory and until 1031, was "administered by a provincial government established in the name of the Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus and centered in Cordoba." See discussion and photographs at ://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sumay/hd_sumay.htm.
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Cordoba, Guadalquivir River
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The bridge walk back - and the car was just fine.
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Thank you, Spain.

For a discussion of the concept of Caliphate as serving in direct line (the "rightful caliphs"), see ://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/politics/firstfourcaliphs.html/
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The phrase apparently means, Successor to the Messenger of God, the Holy Prophet Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him). See also ://www.sispain.org/english/history/muslim.html.

Cordoba

Roman Bridge, Cordoba, Spain
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Roman bridges are still in use - that is the one at Cordoba.

I understand that the Moors had conquered Spain by 711, except for some mountain regions. They ruled for 800 years , and, unlike the Christian areas, welcomed Jews in administration, ambassadorships and finance. Cordoba was the seat of the Umayyad caliphat, its peak in the 10th Century. See original source material at ://www.fordham.edu/halsall/source/conqspain.html


Cathedral, Cordoba, Spain
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Building encompassing building.

The Cathedral at Cordoba contains within it the huge Mosque originally there - they just built around and over. Huge. The Christians finished their reconquest in the 1490's. See www.red2000.com/spain/cordoba/index.

With the reconquest, however, came the Spanish Inquisition, see www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Inquisition; and www.spanish-fiestas.com/history/inquisition; and the expulsion and death of any who opposed the form of Catholicism of Ferdinand and Isabella.

Merida - and Rome. Estremadura Theater, Circus, Amphitheater, Bridge

Merida, Spain

Merida - this city dates from 25 BC. It is a World Heritage site. See ://worldheritage.heindorffhus.dk/frame-SpainMerida.htm. It was a provincial capital for Rome.





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See what the Romans left. A fine theater, now being renovated, that could seat 6000 spectators.
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Theater, Merida, Spain










The Roman bridge over the Gaudiana River is still standing - all spans of it, now a footbridge.
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Bridge, Gaudiana River, Merida, Spain



The Super Tank.

There is also a huge circus structure that could seat 30,000 for chariot-racing, and, we were told by a guide, they used to flood it to do mock naval battles.
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Amphitheater, Merida, Spain; including water tank facility for reenactments, naval spectacles
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The Extremadura or Estremadura section of Spain was home to the conquistatores, and is now considered remote, toward Portugal. But worth it. Find it at ://goeurope.about.com/cs/spain/a/merida_guide.htm

Ronda. Andalusian Cliffs.

Ronda, Spain. Andalusian Cliffs










Ronda - in the mountains, on a deep gorge in Malaga, with a Roman bridge crossing -- the name Ronda is thanks to Julius Caesar. See http://www.travelinginspain.com/Ronda. The site also keys other major towns. This city provided asylum for Moors fleeing the Inquisition after Granada fell. See http://all-that-is-interesting.com/the-rich-history-of-ronda-spain

The old quarter is Moorish. We stayed at a Parador, one in a system of excellent and reasonable hotels throughout Spain.   The government interest is in encouraging tourism, and in preserving fine old structures, such as monasteries, palaces, castles, and they keep the exteriors but change the inside.  See http://www.parador.es/en/portal.do.

They vary widely in cost, but are worth checking out before driving on.  They are convenient and we splurged for the view below. Some are surprisingly inexpensive.