Excursión a Córdoba

Córdoba was founded by the Romans in 152 B.C. & remained under their rule until the Muslims invaded in A.D. 711 & claimed Córdoba as the Islamic capital of the Iberian Peninsula. Under Muslim rule, especially that of Abd ar-Rahman III (912-61). During his rule, Córdoba was the biggest city in Western Europe, with mosques, libraries, aqueducts universities & observatories. The city also hosted leather, metal, textiles & glazed tile artists & towas tolerant of Jews & Christians.

Toward the end of the 10th century, the fearsome general Al-Mansour made over 50 forays into Christian Spain within a span of 20 years. After his death, Berber troups terrorized Córdoba, leading to its decline. The city was captured by a Christian king in 1236, after which time it began to shrink in importance. Fortunately, the perserverance of Córdoba's intellectual tradition & the arrival of industry in the late 19th century helped to preserve the city.

Today, I took a day trip with CIEE to Córdoba. On the way there, we stopped in Montilla. This little town contains Alvear, which CIEE describes as a "bodega" but is really a vineyard. We took a brief tour of the facility, which was followed by a taste-test of 3 wines. Only in Europe would your school take you to a wine tasting at 11 A.M...

After a few stumbles from some of the students, we all boarded the bus to Córdoba. When we arrived, we immediately had free time to get lunch & souvenirs. I walked to the Puente Romano ("Roman Bridge") to check it out, but it was somewhat of a letdown after the bridge we saw yesterday in Ronda. Then our group took a guided walk through la Judería, one of the old neighborhoods of Córdoba. Finally, we toured the Mezquita, or mosque, which was built in 785 on the grounds of a Visigoth church. The building, which incorporates 856 repurposed Visigoth & Roman columns, also houses a Catholic church built after the Christians conquered the city. After the tour, we had a bit more free time, which most of us used to buy a snack at Burger King, then it was back to Sevilla.

Photos here.

Nos vemos, Le <3.