La Mezquita at Córdoba

This is the most impressive building I have ever seen. It was first built in 800 by the Muslim Caliphate. At that time Córdoba was the most important city in the Muslim world outside of Damascus.







The Mosque was built using a series of double arches to support the ceiling. Over the centuries it was added onto until it was larger than the size of a football field (that is soccer in America).






For such an important building, the builders made a huge mistake: the Mosque faces south instead of Southeast towards Mecca. Oops.

Then in the 15th century Córdoba was conquered by the Catholic kingdoms of Castilla and Aragón. In the middle of the Mosque they constructed a huge Cathedral.

Now, all the art in the Mosque and Cathedral is Christian with only some Arabic on the arches and the design itself to pay tribute to its origin.

This is the organ in the Cathedral. The organist sits about twenty feet above everyone.