Córdoba - Spain’s Moorish dreamscape


Aqueducts splashing with water, hanging gardens perfuming the air, aviaries filled with chattering birds, a zoo, fishponds and running streams. The place was named for the caliph’s lady love and one of the many sights she must have enjoyed was a shimmering pool of quicksilver in his bedroom!


Pillared interior of the Great Mosque of Córdoba

“I long for the vanished gardens of Córdoba”

Prince Feisal, in Lawrence of Arabia

It’s early winter in Córdoba and there should be a nip in the air but it’s warm, the sun is bright and the sky is cloudless blue. Córdoba dazzles the eye, whitewash-bright. White houses line this street — and other streets, narrow as laneways and lined with more white houses, lead to other laneways. Some houses are set back, hiding shyly behind leafy patios, where flowers spill from painted pots, vines crawl up walls and the trickle of water can be heard splashing in a shaded fountain. Providing contrast, orange trees line many of these narrow streets, heavy with fruit. Not surprising, I think to myself, that the Moors, who created this paradise many centuries ago, wrote lyric poetry in its praise.

Street in old city; floral arrangements; pigeons relax in the afternoon sun

I’d heard and read a lot about this city. It’s set in the heart of what was once known as the emirate of al-Andalous (756-1031 AD) and known today as Andalusia. Here in southern Spain, the Muslims who arrived from North Africa created one of the world’s great civilisations. Andalusia was a centre of learning and a showcase of the arts. Córdoba, along with its sister Granada, were jewels in the crown of this Arabian Nights dreamscape. Here in Córdoba were poets, musicians, artists, doctors, mathematicians, philosophers, astronomers and, often, a little intrigue (and occasional backstabbing) behind the scenes to sharpen the appetite.

Mosque wall runs the entire length of the street; oranges brighten the courtyard at Bodegas Campos

Speaking of appetites, I think it’s time for lunch, so come join me at Bodegas Campos, located at calle de los Lineros 32. It’s one of Córdoba’s better known restaurants, although calling it a restaurant somehow diminishes it — this remarkable place is almost operatic in its ambience. Created in 1908 by combining a number of old houses, wine cellars and courtyards, Bodegas beguiles from the moment you enter and pass a sensational stuffed rooster arrangement. You walk from room to room, some on different levels, down passageways, through courtyards, up stairs— admiring, as you go, a collection of old bullfight and flamenco posters that has to be seen to be believed. And the food, when it arrives, is Andalusian gastronomic artistry at its best. Grapes stuffed with Roquefort cheese, anyone?

I’d already checked into my hotel, the handsome Conquistador, which I discovered was located right opposite the great eastern wall of the mosque. So I was just minutes away from the entrance to the walled Court of the Orange Trees, with its trees and ornamental ponds, originally used for oblutions before entering the mosque.

The old synagogue in Córdoba

But first, a look at Córdoba’s ancient synagogue, on the calle Judíos, close to a small square called Tiberíades where the Maimonides memorial stands (he was the great medieval Jewish philosopher). The synagogue was built in 1315 but after the Jews were banished from Spain, it became a hospital. In 1885, it was declared a national monument and restoration began. Much early decoration has been lost, but in the upper part of the synagogue, rich Mudejar plasterwork can be seen. Under the arches on the northern and western walls, look for inscriptions in Hebrew from the Psalms. On the southern wall, over the entrance door, there’s a gallery for women, and here, too, you can see inscriptions from Proverbs, Isaiah and Psalms. It’s a beautiful old building in golden stone, and a sad reminder of the banishment of a people whose contribution to Spain is universally recognized.

Orange trees in the mosque courtyard; Christian tower rises above
what is now a cathedral; ancient decorated doorway

Abd-ar-Rahmân I, who started the mosque’s construction (over an old Christian basilica) had only one eye, but he was civilized and despite the eye, farsighted. He came from the Damascus line of Omayyad caliphs which had ruled Islam for generations. When the rival Abbasids slaughtered the Omayyads, so they could transfer the caliphate to Baghdad, Rahmân escaped with his life, arriving in Spain in 755, with some jewels and a few faithful followers. He founded the fortunes of the Caliphate of Córdoba, building the Great Mosque (it was extended later by Abd-ar-Rahmân II and also Almanzor) and, among many other achievements, introducing the first pomegranate and date palm into the country from his palace garden.

Inside the mosque, your eyes adjust to the gloom. Then, gradually, a forest of marble pillars and striped arches comes into view, extending in all directions. The interior is huge and dim (the great brass hanging lamps add some light but not much) and, apart from the murmur of tour guides, hushed. You stand in awe. Its immensity is overpowering. Although the interior seems to be the product of exacting architectural specifications, in reality the columns were taken from the old basilica and other old buildings. They came in different shapes and sizes. The architect, Sidi ben Ayyub, had to compromise, modifying and adapting on the run (and it was on the run, literally, as he had a deadline). Ayub’s arches, which link one pillar to the next, creating this extraordinary forest, were decorated with alternate red brick and white stone. It is, without question, one of the most beautiful buildings in the world.

In the centre of the mosque is the Christian cathedral. Work began in 1523, on orders from the local bishop, and pillars were removed to make way for a transept and chancel. So 16th and 17th century architectural styles intrude as vaults and arches rise high above the surrounding mosque and mahogany choir stalls, carved by a sculptor from Sevilla, gleam under Renaissance cupolas. Although I rather resented this intrusion (and disliked the dark, dusty and pedestrian chapels that line the interior walls of the mosque) I was enchanted by the pulpit and lectern — the former perched atop a huge carved pink marble bull and the lectern sitting on the soaring white wings of a marble eagle. And the cathedral Treasury has some rare specimens, including a monumental gold processional monstrance, created by a German goldsmith Heinrich von Arfe in the early 16th century and an ivory sculpture of the crucified Christ, which is classic in its Spanish Baroque agony.

Abd-ar-Rahmân III not only extended the mosque, but also, as caliph, built a summer palace outside the city, called al-Zahra. A series of terraces which today are mostly in ruins, and which we will presently visit. When Rahmân and his descendants escaped the city during the heat, they came to what was almost a resort— aqueducts splashing with water, hanging gardens perfuming the air, aviaries filled with chattering birds, a zoo, fishponds and running streams. The place was named for the caliph’s lady love and one of the many sights she must have enjoyed was a shimmering pool of quicksilver in his bedroom!

Córdoba was, by this time, a rich and sophisticated city and indeed, all al-Andalous was flourishing. Much of this can be attributed to the enlightened rule of the caliphs but much, too, to the arrival, in 822 AD, of Abul-Hasan Alí Ibn Nafí, known as Ziryab, from Baghdad. Ziryab (a nickname —it is the Arabic name for a species of singing bird) had a fine voice and was a renowned court musician and poet and his impact on the culture of Moorish Spain was indelible. The Iraqi revolutionized life and culture here— everything from etiquette to fashion design to hair styling to gastronomy. He introduced the tablecloth, replaced metal tumblers with glass and suggested the order of courses at mealtimes. He created new recipes. He brought cosmetics and toothpaste from the Orient. He founded a music school, the world’s first conservatory, and was responsible for the introduction of his own invention — what we now call the lute. He knew more than a thousand songs. This was a truly amazing man. Scholars and musicians still pay tribute to him today.

al-Zahra: three views

I now visited al-Zahra, a few kilometers out of the city, straddling the side of a green mountain. You enter from the top, and walk down and along the terraces, trying to imagine how all this must have looked centuries ago, when caliph and courtier walked amid the cypresses and Zahra herself peeped, sloe-eyed, from behind screened windows. Most terraces are now ruined and forlorn, but there are still echoes of the past to be seen, rich decorations in restored pavilions, like the amazing Tree of Life, a maze of sinuous intertwined branches cut in relief into the plaster. And you’ll see the same arch formations you saw in the Great Mosque, either in restored chambers or on walls that still stand, buffeted by the breeze.

Flamenco rhythm at Tablao Cardenal

And, at night, after you’ve walked the narrow streets past the orange trees and shopped for souvenirs, perhaps a nightcap with a little flamenco on the side? Opposite the west wall of the mosque you’ll find Tablao Cardenal. Performances begin at 10.30pm (closed Sundays). Here, you’ll get a glass of wine accompanied by the beat of bulerias. Some flamenco shows are tourist traps that should be avoided like the plague, but this one is different — fine performances, great guitar, singing that has an edgy passion. Could there be a better way to say adiós to the wonder that was and is Córdoba? Visit Spain online: http://www.spain.info

THE ART OF THE
PARADOR


Looking for the perfect place to stay while you’re in Spain? Try a parador - most often, an old convent or castle transformed into a five star wonder. Originally created by the government and now operated independently, you’ll find them everywhere. I have enjoyed paradores in many Spanish cities, most recently in Salamanca and Ciudad Rodrigo. And, as always, the experience was special. Check on line for a map and information about each parador: http://www.paradores-spain.com