Introduction to Cordoba

Ten centuries ago Córdoba was the capital of Muslim Spain. With a population of 900,000, it was Europe's largest city and a worldwide cultural and intellectual center. Later, greedy hordes sacked the city, tearing down ancient buildings and carting off many art treasures. Despite these assaults, Córdoba still retains traces of its former glory -- in fact, of the three great medieval cities of Andalusia, Córdoba best preserves its Moorish legacy.

Today this provincial capital is known chiefly for its mosque, the world-famous Mezquita, but it abounds with other artistic and architectural riches, especially its lovely homes. The old Arab and Jewish quarters are famous for their narrow streets lined with whitewashed houses boasting flower-filled patios and balconies. Córdoba has recently joined the ranks of UNESCO's World Heritage sites, so you'll want to spend at least 2 days here.

From the 8th to the 11th centuries, the Umayyad caliphs brought an opulent lifestyle and great learning and culture to Córdoba while most of the rest of Europe languished in the Dark Ages. In those days, Córdoba -- not Madrid -- was the capital of Iberia. In its heyday, a pilgrimage to the Great Mezquita in Córdoba by a Muslim was said to have equaled a journey to Mecca.

Prior to the arrival of the Arabs, Córdoba had prospered in Roman times. Seneca the Elder (4 B.C. to A.D. 65), one of the greatest philosophers of the ancient world, lived here.

After the fall of the Romans, the city declined when it was taken over by the Visigoths, who in turn gave way to the more cultured Arabs. The invaders brought in scientists, scholars, and philosophers, while at the same time generating great prosperity based on trade.

Córdoba became known for its pleasure palaces, including harems and luxurious baths. But it also boasted a library with 400,000 hand-copied books. The city was host to the first university established in Europe and Cordovan silverwork and tooled leathers became famous around the world.

Infighting among the Muslims led to the collapse of Córdoba in 1031, when it disintegrated as a center of the caliphate. Seville replaced Córdoba at that time as the capital of Iberia.

Even in this period of decline, Córdoba saw the birth of Moisés Maimónides (1135-1204), the fabled Jewish philosopher and Talmudist, who was born in the Judería (Jewish ghetto). In time he was driven from the city by the Almohads and sought refuge in the Ayyubid court in Egypt. There he became the physician to Saladin, and penned a number of works that still have a profound impact on world thought.

The Reconquista, the recapturing of Muslim Andalusia by the Christians, occurred in 1236 long before Ferdinand and Isabella took back Granada in 1492. Under various Catholic monarchs, Córdoba went into a decline that lasted for centuries.

Today Córdoba's glory is long gone, but you can wander its streets and see what used to be. There's a lot more here than the Mezquita: You can stroll the narrow, cobblestone streets and flower-filled patios of the Judería for hours, wander through Queen Isabella's garden in the Alcázar, visit Renaissance churches and palaces, explore some of Andalusia's finest museums, and even visit the nearby excavations of Madinat Al-Zahra, a country palace and royal city built by a 10th-century caliph.

Córdoba is also a modern city with broad, tree-lined boulevards and an up-to-date business community with computers and cellphones. You can live in modern chain hotels of a high international standard, but if you prefer the old-fashioned Andalusian lifestyle, in certain restaurants and palaces you can also truly live in the past.