Córdoba is a city in the Spanish region of Andalusia with a long and interesting history. The area has been inhabited for several thousand years, and after the first Iberian settlements, the place was conquered by the Romans in 206 BC. A Roman city founded in 169 BC and it was traditionally laid out with a forum. Later, Córdoba became the intellectual center of Hispania Ulterior. The city was conquered by the Moors in 711 or 712, and in 716 they made it their capital. Around the year 1000, Córdoba was one of the world’s largest cities, but a revolution in 1009 stopped the flourishing development. The Christian conquest reached Córdoba in 1236, and the city’s great mosque was converted into a church. In the 18th century, only 20,000 inhabitants lived here, but recent centuries have brought new major development and expansion.

Córdoba’s old town along the Guadalquivir River is a fantastic place to take a stroll with the many cozy streets and major sights you’ll find here. By the river you can see the Roman bridge, which with a length of approximately 250 meters has crossed the Guadalquivir since the century BC. However, the bridge was reconstructed in the Moorish era, but still stands as a beautiful monument from old Córdoba with the Torre de la Calahorra gate tower from the Moorish era to the south. From the bridge, there is access to the city to the north through the Renaissance gate Puerta del Puente, which was built in the 16th century as a monument to King Philip II’s visit to the city. The gate stands on the same site as an earlier Roman city gate that led from the Guadalquivir to the Via Augusta. If you want to see more from the Roman era, there are ruins of a temple, a theater and a mausoleum in the city.

In the middle of Córdoba is the city’s world-famous cathedral, which, together with the streets around it, is on UNESCO’s list of world cultural heritage. The cathedral was built in the years 784-786 as Córdoba’s great mosque during the Moorish era. The mosque was one of the most significant buildings in the Moorish area of ​​the Iberian Peninsula. The architecture was a mixture of Islamic, Roman and Visigothic features, and together with the colossal size of the mosque, the result was impressive. The mosque was expanded in the 9th century, and after the Christian reconquest, the building was converted and rebuilt into Córdoba’s Christian Cathedral. On that occasion, a large part of the Moorish building was preserved, which you can therefore easily get an impression of on a visit today.

You can also see other buildings from the Moorish era in the city. The Baños Califales bath house from the 9th century and the large ruins of the Madinat al-Zahra palace west of Córdoba are good examples from this time. In the center you can also see the Sinagoga de Córdoba, a preserved synagogue from 1315, located in the historic Jewish quarter of the city. To the south-west in the old town, you will find the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, which was a royal residence for e.g. Isabella I and Ferdinand II. The residence castle was built from 1328 on an old Moorish fortress and on the site where the Roman governor once lived. It is a beautiful facility with lots of places to see, and it was here that the Spanish Inquisition later had its seat. In Córdoba you can also see many churches that were built or rebuilt in the years after the Christian reconquest like San Juan y Todos los Santos and Santa Marina.