Top Tips to enjoy Mezquita!

Join me at Mezquita – an incredible mosque/cathedral in southern Spain. I’ll take you inside and give you my top tips to get the most out of a visit to Cordoba’s masterpiece.

Due to the excessive number of home improvement TV shows that soak our viewing schedules, many people when given the opportunity to extend an old property would want to make their mark, maybe add something incredibly modern to juxtapose the existing architecture. How wonderful then that these TV shows weren’t around in the olden days as the spectacular, Islamic Mezquita in Cordoba, Spain went through 5 (five) extensions, each one staying thoroughly loyal to what was already in place.

In the 16th century, the Christians arrived and threw a majestic cathedral of epic proportions right in the middle. Rather than stealing centre show, it creates a wonderful contrast and mix of religious ideas.

You may think that the endless ‘candy cane’ arches might get a little boring but in truth they never did. When I realised I had seen every square inch of Mezquita and that it was probably time to leave, I stalled for a few more minutes to soak up as much as possible of this inspirational place.

Here’s what The Ultimate Travelist said:

“Picture endless interwoven horseshoe arches, skylit domes and a glittering mihrab (prayer niche) that echoes Arabian Nights. Add 50 or so chapels, a 16th-century cathedral shoehorned in the centre and minaret scripted in an ecclesiastical bell tower, and you have an idea of Cordoba’s Mezquita. The resulting clash of Christian and Islamic architecture is an oddity that must be seen to be believed.”

Get your copy of Lonely Planet’s Ultimate Travelist here.