The Tower was once the Minaret - Entrance to the Mosque is from the right of the picture
As you walk into the big courtyard with lush green groves/orchards ripe with oranges you admire the overall architecture of the whole building. The beauty is breath taking. After purchasing our tickets we decided to first visit the Mosque or as the locals call it Mezquita de Cordoba and tour the area later. November is comparatively a low season for international tourists. During my many travels one thing I have noticed is that local tourism has picked up significantly. The local tourists easily outnumbered the foreign tourists. People from European Union, or even Spanish speaking countries got a free pass or there was a nominal charge. We ended up paying 10 euro or about US $ 12.50 per person. It was worth it.
Groves of Orange Trees with Evergreens and Palm Trees add to the beauty
Old Photograph not by the author
Similarity to the Haram
The first thing I noticed was the similarity between the architecture of the Mosque of Cordoba built in 8th century and the Grand Mosque of Medina renovated in 1950's and 1974. In 707 before the Mosque of Cordoba was erected Ummayad caliph Alwalid Ibn-e Abd-al- Malik renovated the mosque in Medina.
Interior of The Prophets Mosque - not photographed by the author
Although the chandeliers have been changed in the Medina Mosque, I do recall green round chandeliers very similar to the chandeliers that are in the Masjid Cardoba. Of course a lot bigger version were in the Medina Mosque.
The Chandeliers lined up
O’ sacred place of
Cordoba, you exist because of Love
Love that’s wholly
eternal, which does not come and go
Sir Muhammad Iqbal visit to Cordoba
In 1933 just before 5 years of his death Allama Iqbal, who is admired as a prominent poet, philosopher, academician and a respected politician not only by Pakistanis but Indians and Iranians, traveled to Spain and visited the Grand Mosque of Cordoba, where he penned his famous poem titled "Masjid-e-Qurtuba". Under the title of the poem he has specified that the poem was written while on Spanish Land and Specially in Cordoba.
There is an old picture of Allama Iqbal praying at the Cordoba Mosque. Although I did not see any signs but the general understanding is that except for the Catholic morning service no other form of prayer is allowed. When you go do check the timings of the service to make the most of your time.
Allama Iqbal at the Mehrab
Mehrab
Allama Iqbal offering a prayer in Masjid-e-Qurtuba
You can see how railings have been added to convert sections
Old Painting of the Great Mosque
Just another one
Inside the Mosque in 2017
Another look
The roof and the Chandelier
You can see how the addition has been made and blended into the old architecture.
No visit is complete without a Selfie - a Tourist taking a selfie
Temple to Church to Mosque and then to Church
The site
has a complex history. Historian believe that at this very site there was
a Temple to the Roman God, Janus. The temple was converted into a Church
in 572 when Visigoths invaded and captured Cordoba.
On the
site of Visigoth ruins, the Mosque construction began in 785 AD, which was the
start of eight centuries of North African Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula.
By the 10th century, the Great Mosque had helped make Córdoba a hugely
influential hub of learning and the world’s second most important Muslim place
of worship, after Mecca. By 800AD Cordoba had a population of 200,000 that grew
to almost a million by 10th century designating Cordoba as a mega city. Current
population is about 350,000.
When Christians
re-conquered Córdoba, they built a cathedral, completed in 1236, in the heart
of the mosque. Since then, only Christian worship has been allowed inside the
monument, which draws 1.5 million visitors each year. In 2010, two Austrian
Muslims were arrested after an altercation with security guards who had stopped
them from praying in the monument.
It is
known that Prince Abd-al-Rahman of Ummayad, who took control of the Iberian
peninsula established Cordoba as the New Capital of the Islamic Dynasty. He
sponsored elaborate building program, promoted agriculture and brought fruits
from Damascus that were planted in Cordoba. To this day there are groves
of oranges in the courtyard of the Mosque.
Groves of Oranges in the Courtyard.
A Huge Mosque and a Catholic place of Worship
Mezquita -Cathedral
The expression of religious tolerance speaks from this monument that has been described by UNESCO as “an irreplaceable testimony of the Caliphate of Córdoba and the most emblematic monument of Islamic religious architecture.”
In an article "Islamic past of Cordoba's Mosque-Cathedral restored" Guy Hedgecoe writing for the "Irish Times writes "in recent years, the Catholic Church, which administers the Mosque-Cathedral, had removed references to its Islamic past in tourism literature and on the building’s website, drawing accusations that it was whitewashing the city’s Muslim history".
Two decades ago the monument was described as the “Mosque-Cathedral” in tourist brochures, a term that acknowledged its shared heritage. In 1998, the Catholic authorities changed that to the “Cathedral (former Mosque)” and then in 2010 it became simply “Córdoba Cathedral".
In 2016 local campaigners in Córdoba celebrated the end of a long-standing feud with the Catholic Church over the status of the city’s Mosque-Cathedral.
“This is an enormous victory, to have made such a stubborn institution as the Catholic Church change the intolerant stance it had taken for years,” Miguel Santiago, a local teacher who led the civic campaign for the name reversal, told The Irish Times. “You could say that the Mezquita-Cathedral is the city’s genetic code, it’s where our different cultures have been blended.”
A beacon of cultural harmony -extension of the Mosque into a Cathedral
He added: “At this moment in history, with so much international conflict, the Mezquita is a monument that shows that cultural hybrids are possible. It’s a beacon of harmony, unity, multiculturalism and religious tolerance.”
The Pillars that support the Mosque and the Cathedral
Extension into Cathedral Style
Overlooking the Pulpit
The Stain Glass Windows have been added
It was time to start exploring the outside - the long hallways are lined up with pillars, the cobbled stone courtyard provides an artistic look to the floor and the green lush orange trees with ripe oranges paint a picture that no digital medium can capture. The shades of trees and the pillars invite you take a breather, rest and simply enjoy the scenery.
Through the eyes of a digital medium still the original can only be experienced through ones own eyes
The big hallways around the beautiful courtyard invite you to walk the area where many rulers and historical personalities have walked.
The Pond in the Court Yard - most likely used for washing before the prayer.
There are many doors - however it was time for us to leave from one of them
We decided to visit Toledo, a 40 minutes drive to the south west of Madrid. Toledo was the old capital of Spain.
Moorish architecture is the articulatedIslamic architecture of North Africa and parts of Spain and Portugal (Al Andalus), where the Moors were dominant between 711 and 1492. The best surviving examples are La Mezquita in Córdoba and the Alhambra palace in Granada (mainly 1338–1390). I will have another blog on my travel to Cordoba and Alhambra. Let us focus on Toledo now.
Some of you may have figured out. Alcazar is from the Arabic Word "Al Qassar" or The Castle. Spain is known for its castles. Most are built in Moorish Style.
A view from the look out point looking at the Alcazar -there are only two bridges that get you into Toledo.
We recently took a trip to Spain, it was a great experience and the food was great. I wish I had my kitchen in Spain to use all the fresh items so readily available.
Our setting at the Hotel Intercontinental Madrid where we decided to have our first sit down lunch. In-spite of the language barrier we were able to get great service and some very good, finger licking food. Enjoyed every bit of it.
This was the starter. Kebab in a Lettuce Wrap. The waiter was courteous to remind us that you pull out the stick before eating and you eat with fingers. He just thought that these foreigners who are struggling to make sense of Spanish culture and language may try something that may hurt them. The presentation itself was so appetizing. I could have eaten several of these. The sauce was so good.
This was the main course - fish served with vegetables and the drops were referred to as soup on the Menu. My husband thought he was getting a great deal as there was a soup with the main dish. When he asked about the soup the server had a blank face. Not till the dish was served that he realized that soup was referred to as sauce and that too droplets. Still very tasty and perfect portion size.
Spanish Paella
On the top of the dish you can also see their famous rice dish - Spanish Paella that was served on the table from the Paella Pan. This rice dish has to be cooked in a special pan. Else it is not a Paella. I choose the vegetable version. Choices were chicken and sea food in addition to vegies.
Thanks to the Chef - they served us with a small bowl of beef strips and vegetables. Very very simple dish cooked in olive oil and salt and nothing else. Simplicity brought out the taste of the vegetables and the beef strips were perfect.
They gave us the option of Pork or Beef.
As you can see nothing was left - it was so good and we were hungry that taking a picture was an after thought.
For deserts they served us with chocolate that was so good that there was no time to take pictures.
My Recipe for Spanish Cookies
Tradition
There is a Spanish tradition that when someone gets married the Nuns of the Church bake some cookies etc for the newly married. There are some places where the Nuns actually sell home made Spanish delicacies. We stopped by one such place. Of course it was Siesta time and they were closed. This display in a window shows the depiction of the event and the final stuff.
Some more display of Cookies
Many things to see and buy
Window display of cookies and goodies - mouth watering and will contribute to your waistline. However, Spanish people walk a lot so they burn most of the calories that they consume. It is amazing to see that they eat lunch at around 2:00 PM. In the restaurant we were the first to get there at around 12:45 PM. When we were finishing right around 2:00 PM is when people started coming.
Dinner time is almost 8:30 PM
Dinner time is a bit late from US standards. Still everyone looks so fit and are an envy. There has to be some secret that we need to explore more.
Eating at a Local Tapas
We decided to find a local joint for dinner. Reliable Google guide told us the Restaurant was almost 5 minutes walk from our Hotel, so we decided to walk. Ended up taking a taxi. Had no idea which way Google Maps wanted us to walk, also the connection was bad and we kept on getting the spinning wheel and that sound of re-calculating.
Good that we took the Taxi. It was almost a 6 minute drive from the spot. So we could have been walking for almost 40 minutes. This was a totally local Spanish joint and we were early and the only people looking different. People did start coming in right after 8:30 PM. Noticed most were regular. The server knew them and knew their routine.
They serve you with a basket of bread. You can easily fill yourself with bread itself. It was so good.
The small bread sticks are called Picos. They are usually served with olive oil. Some restaurants may serve some kind of a dip to go with these sticks. Makes your mouth water.
Local Tapas Ambience
The backdrop of tiles depicted an old city. Wine was being chilled for the customers. And right when the server placed these a gentleman walked in. After exchanging the normal Hola's he sat on the counter bar stool. The waiter served him with his favorite shot along with shrimps. I guess he was a regular and did not have to order. He had his shot, used his fingers to eat the shrimps and within few minutes was out of the place. It was just about 8:30 pm when people started coming in. They sat at their favorite spot. As these were high tables one simple practical idea that I noticed was that the tables had hanging hooks under and people were hanging their coats under the table. Good use of space.
Just Simple Food
A simple eggplant dish - totally vegetarian. Little bit of salt and pepper cooked in olive oil served with fried Padron Peppers.
The peppers are so good. You do not feel the heat. It is a specialty served at the Tapas.
Different angle of the same dish. you can see the stem - after a few minutes nothing was left except the stems of the Peppers.
Hauka Fish
Soft and delicious and a lot meaty taste.
Simple Fish Dish Served with Padron Peppers and Potatoes.
And this is what my husband ordered. He usually sticks with fish. The quality of the fish was great. Had a lot more meaty flavor. It was Hauka Fish.
At the Mayor Restaurant in the Middle of the Square.
Spoiler Alert - skip if you do not want to read
Some thing that may not sound Good
This would read a bit gross but it is a Spanish delicacy, which we passed on. They eat suckling pigs. Baby pigs that feed on mothers milk are slaughtered between the ages of six to twelve weeks. It sounds so bad but it is something that Spanish people love and it was highly recommended. Wanted to cover it to give you just an idea.
This is a statue of a Chef cutting suckling pigs using a plate. Depicting how delicate the meat is. This picture is real and I did not make up this story.
We ordered the lamb roast. It was OK. The potatoes and tomatoes tasted a lot better. So if you end up passing on the Suckling Pig and the Lamb Roast do not feel bad. Again language was a big issue.
None of the servers spoke English. We were struggling and that is when the student sitting on the next table came over and asked if we needed help. She was from North Carolina and had been studying in Spain and spoke perfect Spanish. That was such a relief. Did not catch her name but they were behind us when we got to the Castle.
Seemed strange but noticed several street vendors seller Tea. The baskets were labeled as Teas from different countries. Did notice Tea from Ceylon now Sri Lanka, Tea from Pakistan and many more countries. Do not recall seeing Tea from India.
Of course there were other goodies and herbs for sale too.
And he was there to serve us at the Alhambra Look Out Point in Granada. If you go take a taxi to the top and try walking down. When you walk down explore the streets and the courtyards.
Another Local Restaurant
We decided to have lunch at another local restaurant. Pretty much a working class joint. It was amazing that there were only two people running the restaurant. One cook and one server.
Lucky for us the server spoke English. She was so nice and went all out to help us select. Even though she was running around like crazy but still she was paying enough attention to all the guests.
They did not have Hauka Fish but still had these. They tasty great. Again very little spices, cooked in olive oil - the taste of lemon, the salad and the fries all made a great combination.
Good food.
I ordered the roasted chicken which was good too. See the Purple and yellow slice on the plate below. It was something that I had not eaten before. So we asked what it was.
Discovered a New Vegetable
It is a purple and yellow carrot that has been around for centuries. Our server was very gracious she brought out a Carrot to show us what it looked like and wanted to give us the carrot as a souvenir. However, we had to pass on it as we were traveling. It tasted pretty good.
Slice of Purple and Yellow Carrot that was part of our salad. Good taste.
Our Server brought out a Carrot for us to take. Very helpful and nice server.
Organic Eggs have a Quality of their own.
We ordered fried eggs for our breakfast and noticed that the eggs tasted so much better. The color of the Yolk was not yellow but more orange. These were organic eggs. Wondering where we can find this quality in USA.
Food on Train
We took the European Fast Train to Granada from Madrid. It was an early morning train so we were served breakfast in the First Class. Nothing fancy just simple breakfast. What was interesting was that they served yogurt based drink for breakfast.
Of course there was coffee and snacks.
This will give you an idea of prices. Multiply everything with 1.2
Locals having breakfast in the Mayor's Plaza.
Meat Shop
Checking out local foods
This is where locals go to buy fruits
Locals buying seafood
At the bar -trying to get my coffee at the Real Madrid Stadium. It was a sneaky way to enter the Stadium without paying the big entry fee - we did not care for the trophies that Real Madrid has won.
Some Tips if you Go
If you decide to have a sit in dinner or lunch give yourself enough time. Restaurants usually take time. When in a rush we landed at one of the Fast Food Chains. All big names were there.
Except for fast food, prices at restaurants are generally higher than what you will pay in the USA.
When paying by credit card they will bring the mobile charge machine over to you and process there.
If you have restrictions on what you can eat, always ask. For example a bean dish may seem a vegetarian dish but it maybe cooked with pork.
When ordering water make sure you make it clear as to what you are ordering. Bottled water can take many forms.
Chicken Biryani -key to good biryani is how the rice looks after it is cooked.
This is a rice based dish originally from South Asia. Traditionally this is a dish that Muslims of the Indian subcontinent served on special occasions like weddings or festival parties like Eid etc. Now the dish has become very popular and served not only through out the subcontinent but throughout the world.
The main ingredients are Rice, Meat ( can be chicken, beef or mutton. Some have started using fish and prawns too) and spices.
Here is a very simple and easy way to cook the famous chicken biryani. You need to try it. Almost 1 million people have watched this video.
This is my favorite recipe. Simple and easy needs very little of spices.
Yellow Rice also known as Tehree can be a full meal in itself.
Yellow rice is cooked in many ways. However, there is a special way it is cooked in India. It is also known as Tehree. Use of vegetables is optional but potatoes and rice are the base. You mus use a good quality rice in order to get good results. Basmati rice works best even though you can use other type of rice too. Mixed vegetables use is optional but for this recipe I do use it with 4 small potatoes and a Green Chili. Get some rice and that is all that you need to cook this full home cooked meal. Add some spices and the dish will be done in no time using a pressure cooker, my favorite utensil. If you have never cooked rice in a pressure cooker give it a try. You will love the results.
In 2016 local campaigners in Córdoba celebrated the end of a long-standing feud with the Catholic Church over the status of the city’s Mosque-Cathedral.
