Córdoba was our next stop, home to the exquisite Mezquita de Córdoba, the Great Mosque. Actually it’s a Roman temple turned Mosque turned Cathedral, a common occurrence in Spain. The layering of history and events in each place in Spain is remarkable, especially in Córdoba. The original Carthaginian city was conquered by the Romans in 206 BC, who formed a Roman settlement there. The famous playwright Seneca the Younger was born there just before the birth of Christ. I forget sometimes that Rome was an empire – you expect famous Romans to have been born in Rome, but this was not always the case. The Roman provinces provided many philosophers, writers and even emperors.

Córdoba was later conquered by the Muslims in 711 AD. It grew in prominence until the 11th century, eventually becoming the capital of the caliphate of Al-Andalus, the Arab name for southern Spain. It was the most populous city in the world in the 10th century with 500,000-1 million inhabitants and a center for learning and culture. It was reconquered by Ferdinand III of Castille in the 13th century and converted back to Christianity.

The Old Town and the Jewish quarter have been maintained, and we wandered through there on our way to the Mosque.

Our local guide has his PhD on the history of Córdoba and authored 5 books on the topic. He was much as I imagine the Bruce would be if he lived in Spain and gave tours for a living. Something to think about for retirement. We started our tour of the Mosque in the Court of Oranges – the stately, ordered garden designed to emulate the structure of the adjoining mosque. You can see the Bell Tower-minaret from across the courtyard.

When we entered the Mosque itself, we saw the remains of the Roman temple under the current floor where archeologists are still uncovering details.

Then we went into the Muslim Prayer Room with its candy-cane-striped arches. The immensity and detail in this place is distracting.

After seeing the mihrab, which points the way to Mecca, we wound our way around to the Cathedral through a museum of sorts of church artifacts hundreds of years old.

As we came into the nave where regular Mass is celebrated today, it was like walking into a different time period – the Renaissance construction was such a contrast from the Islamic art we’d seen previously. The altar and choir are both magnificent in their scale and artwork.

After our tour of the Mosque, we had some free time to see more of the city. I walked down to the Guadalquivir River to see the old Roman bridge spanning its banks. I also saw one of the original 11 mills on the river.

Check back tomorrow to read about my time in Seville.

Title quote: Seneca, born in Córdoba in 4 BC.