The Mezquita, or mosque, is the highlight of our trip for John, the one thing he most looked forward to seeing and experiencing. Construction commenced on the Mezquita in 784CE under Emir Abd-ar-Rahman, on the site of a Roman temple and it took over two centuries to be completed. It once held an original edition of the Qu'ran and an arm bone of the prophet Mohammed. The Mezquita served the Cordoba Moorish community for several centuries, then in 1236 Cordoba was taken from the Moors by King Ferdinand III and once again became a Christian city. Fortunately Ferdinand admired and respected the Mezquita and instead of razing it he consecrated it as a Catholic church and over the ensuing years it was remodelled to include a Catholic cathedral in the centre of the original structure, with naves, a 'choir', and the usual assortment of Catholic statuary, paintings and frescoes, some created over the top of the existing columns and arches. It is a unique and intriguing architectural oddity, with its own unique atmosphere, that simply cannot be described in words. The Mezquita occupies 24,000 square metres (2.4 hectare,; 6 acres; more than twice the size of our property). 856 of the original 1,293 onyx, marble and granite columns still stand. The repetition of striped arches, comprising red brick and grey/white stone, between the columns, extending as far as the eye can see lends an air of serenity and holiness. This contrasts markedly with the Catholic cathedral in the centre of the mosque, so highly decorated in gold and silver with statues of many sizes and colours, as well as paintings and other Catholic icons. It is almost too much for the eye to take in and the brain to comprehend. So here we were - standing in an intact architectural and spiritual masterpiece that is almost 1,300 years old. Quite an experience.
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