Cordoba

And we're off! After leaving Jerusalem at 1am, we flew from Tel Aviv to Istanbul, then Istanbul to Malaga, Spain, where we boarded a bus and drove 2 hours to Cordoba, our first stop on the travel component of our program. While exhausted  we still spent the first night exploring the city center of Cordoba, and eating delicious tapas at one of the many cafes. After living the Middle East for 3 months, it was exciting to be back in a European/Western country for a few days. I got to try out my rusty Spanish at restaurants and with shop keepers. Cordoba is a beautiful city, filled with narrow, twisting streets that congregate around the Mezquita and the Guadalquiver. We walked down to the river and watched the sunset over the city, then headed out to a late dinner (or early in Spain) at 9pm. Southern Spain is famous for its Iberian pork, and after living in Muslim/Jewish societies that don't eat pork, we all enjoyed consuming as much ham, bacon, pork, and sausage as possible. 

The next day, we got a tour of the medina, or old city, of Cordoba. The purpose behind our visit to Islamic Spain was to learn about this history and legacy of al-Andalus in the region. Left out of many Western history books, a Muslim dynasty ruled Spain from 711-1492. The regime was characterized by convivenca, or peaceful cohabitation, between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. We explored the old Jewish Quarter of Cordoba, and saw the remains of an 11th century synagogue, built by Muslim architects. We then toured the Cathedral-Mosque of Cordoba, the Mezquita, Cordoba's key tourist attraction. The only such building in existence, construction began on the mosque in 784 and was completed in 987, built in 4 stages. After the Christians reconquered Spain, a Catholic cathedral was built in the middle of the mosque, making for a startling architectural juxtaposition. It is one of the most beautiful buildings I've ever been in, with its iconic red and white arches stretching as far as the eye can see. 

While in Cordoba, we also visited Medinat al-Zahra, which was founded in 963 by Caliph Abd al-Rahman III as his royal city. It was said to be paradise on earth, consisting of 3 terraces; the first for the commoners; the second for the palace, and the third for the caliph's quarters. The palace had lush gardens, fountains and reflecting pools, intricate architecture and soaring arches. The city was sacked by Berber troops in the 11th century, and the city lay untouched for centuries. However, excavations began in 1910 to uncover the lost city of Medinat al-Zahra. Today, only 10% of the area is uncovered, an already staggeringly large area. We tramped through the ruins, seeing the throne room, al-Yaffar's rooms (the grand vizier  or PM...or Jafar from Aladdin), the royal gardens, the main boulevard through town, and the reception hall for foreign dignitaries. Since in its small and ruined state it was impressive, I can't even imagine the spledor that it was in the 10th and 11th century. Medinat al-Zahra only stood for 70 years before its destruction, but it was a testament to the world of the glory and splendor of Al-Andalus.