Mezquita, famous for its mysteriously shaped mosque! Walking around Cordoba, the capital of the Spanish Islamic empire.
On May 27, we traveled from Granada to Cordoba, also in Andalusia.
It takes about three hours by bus from Granada to Cordoba.
Buses run on Andalusian roads.
Andalusia is famous for its sunflower fields.
I was expecting to see a field of sunflowers spreading all over the area, but I could not see them because it was still a little early in the season.
But even if it was not sunflowers, it was satisfying enough to see a view of colorful and vibrant flowers.
Arrive at the bus terminal in Cordoba.
Cordoba had its heyday in the 10th century as the capital of the Spanish Islamic Empire and was one of the largest cities in the world, with a population of over one million people.
The atmosphere of the city is different from that of Granada.
The most famous part of Cordoba's old town is the Jewish Quarter.
In countries under the control of Islamic empires, there are often many Jews living there as well.
The reason for this is that there is a system in place that allows people to be recognized as citizens even if they are not Muslim, as long as they pay their taxes well.
This isSarajevo, BosniaBut it's the same mechanism I talked about in the previous section. Sarajevo was governed under the Ottoman Empire, but the mechanism is the same.
Islam may have been perceived as strict and intolerant of other religions, but it was in fact a religion in which the idea of coexistence with others was deeply rooted.
For Jews, who are persecuted wherever they go in the Christian world, this treatment made conditions very livable.
The Jewish quarter is a maze of white-walled buildings.
Then, in mid-May, a patio festival is held in which the beauty of each courtyard is competed, and the walls of the houses are decorated with beautiful flowers.
Unfortunately, I was not able to witness the festival, but I heard that the many flowers decorating the pure white walls are so beautiful that they are worth seeing.
Entrance to Mezquita.
Cordoba is famous for its Mezquita. It is a huge mosque that is considered the pinnacle of Islamic architecture along with the Alhambra Palace.
The interior is filled with distinctive arched columns called a forest of columns.
The red and yellow pattern of the arch structure is striking.
This arch structure is the result of incorporating and fusing the heritage of the Roman Empire with Islamic culture.
Construction of the Mezquita itself began in 785, and it has been enlarged and remodeled many times since then to its present form.
What is interesting about this building is that when Cordoba was occupied by Christians during the Reconquista in the 13th century, the building was converted into a Christian church in its entirety.
Then, in the 16th century, there was a major renovation that resulted in the unusual creation of a huge cathedral inside the mosque.
In the middle of all this Islamic architecture.
A fine Christian institution is being built.
Islamic and Christian architecture cohabit next to each other.
As I was walking through the Christ Church section, the ceiling painting suddenly caught my eye.
I don't know why. I don't know why, but it's stuck.
It sounds like something like ...
I remember! It's the ceiling painting of the Sistine Chapel!
The square picture corner in the center of the ceiling, the triangular framework supporting it, and the various figures painted on it.
It may be a little difficult to tell from the postcard photo, but after actually coming here and taking a closer look, I was truly amazed at how much the ceiling painting of this mezquita resembles the original.
I wondered why they looked so much alike, and when I looked into it, I found that they were also greatly influenced by Michelangelo's ceiling paintings.
Michelangelo is indeed a genius.
The impact of the ceiling paintings of the Sistine Chapel, completed in 1512, seems to have quickly spread to Christians around the world.
And this mezquita is so large that up to 45,000 believers can worship at the same time.
The Tokyo Dome can finally accommodate about 50,000 people for a concert.
It is a terrific size, accommodating 45,000 people in a flat seating capacity.
And in fact, it is precisely because it attracts that many believers that this building was built.
One cannot help but feel the prosperity of Cordoba at that time and the power of Islam.
The Guadalquivir River flows through Cordoba and the Mezquita.
The lighting up at night is exceptionally beautiful.
The yellow-lit bridge and mesquita float in the darkness.
The old town around Mezquita.
Although the flow of people was a little less, there was still a lively atmosphere with a bar area.
Walking on the bridge across the Guadalquivir River.
Take a leisurely stroll while listening to the sound of the river.
Cordoba was also the pride of the Islamic empire as a city of learning.
It was here that advanced learning and culture flourished, creating a civilization that led the world.
In contrast, Europe around the 10th century was so devastated and civilization was in retreat that it was called the Dark Ages.
There was indeed a time when the history of the world was not always centered in Europe, but in the Islamic world.
My interest in Islamic culture has intensified as I have witnessed it firsthand in the field.
Why Islamic culture was of such a high standard at the time is of endless interest.
be unbroken
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