Editor’s note: this is the second part of Jackie’s trip to Spain and Portugal. You can click here to read about her experience in Madrid. As for these cities, Seville is my personal favorite in Spain, and one of my favorites in Europe. Granada is stunning due to the Alhambra, and Cordoba is at the top of my Spanish wish list. All three will be part of yours after reading this lovely piece. For more of Jackie’s writing, click here to visit her index page.

As part of our trip to Spain and Portugal with Gate 1, we spent a couple of days in Seville and surroundings, including a side trip to Cordoba, and a visit to Granada, where the Alhambra is.  These places all have history with sites being important to Muslims, Christians, and Jews, sometimes at the same time and sometimes following each other. 

Seville

Seville is the fourth largest city by population in Spain, with roughly 1.5 million people in the greater Seville area.  At one time it was the most important port in Spain, although it is on the Guadalquivir River rather than directly on the ocean.

The Seville Cathedral is a UNESCO World Heritage site and is one of the world’s largest churches and the largest Gothic cathedral.  The Seville Cathedral is a former mosque, completed in the late 1100s.  After Seville was conquered by Ferdinand III, it was converted into a cathedral (1248), by partitioning parts of the mosque into chapels and adding Christian articles of worship.  This held until 1401, when it was decided that Seville needed a more impressive cathedral, which was mostly completed in the late 1400s.  Some parts of the original mosque were preserved, most notably the minaret, which was slightly modified to a bell tower. 

The inside of the Cathedral is impressive in size and height.  It also features an ornate altar piece, but unfortunately it is behind a gate, so pictures are not impressive.

Christopher Columbus is buried in the Cathedral (at least according to Spain; Santa Domingo also claims him).  Columbus’ tomb is carried by four figures, representing the kingdoms of Spain during his life.   Columbus’ son Ferdinand is also buried in the Cathedral, as are a number of Kings and Queens of Castile.

My favorite site in Seville is the Plaza de Espana.  It was built for the 1929 Ibero-American Exposition.  Unfortunately, the stock market crashed that year, so the exposition was not the success they thought it would be.  But the Plaza is exquisite!  It has buildings that were used for exhibits and tiled alcoves showcasing Spain’s provinces.  It has bridges over moats with tiled railings and a fountain.  In the buildings it has tiled pictures and gorgeous ceilings and decorated staircases.  These two pictures just give a taste of what is there. 

While in Seville, we were privileged to attend a Flamenco show, which was amazing.  Flamenco seems to have had its roots in the Seville area, most likely due to the Roma population with additions from other cultures.

(If you want to read Jonathan’s take on Seville, click here for his guide, which links to other articles.)

Cordoba

Cordoba is also on the Guadalquivir River, which used to be navigable all the way to Cordoba.  It is about 1 ½ hours from Seville by car, or faster by train.  It started as a Roman settlement and the old Roman walls are still there.  Visigoths and then Muslims conquered the city, which in the 10th century was the one of the largest cities in Europe.  Christians conquered the city in 1236.

Jews lived in Cordoba, too, until the Inquisition in 1492.  Maimonides, a Sephardic rabbi and influential Jewish scholar and philosopher, was born in Cordoba around 1135 and lived there until 1148 when his family had to move out of Cordoba or convert to Islam.  Cordoba also has an old synagogue, which was used from around 1315 until 1492.  In 1985 it became a museum, but unfortunately it was not open the day we were there.  There are a few streets (Judios, for instance) as well as Maimonides Square (formerly Tiberiades Square) and a few businesses that are Jewish, but as in Toledo, the Jewish quarter has few Jews.

The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba is truly spectacular.  It was built as a mosque around 785 CE and expanded several times over the next couple of centuries, including adding a minaret.  One of the main features is rows and rows of double arches, influenced by similar Roman structures, for instance the aqueduct in Segovia.

Another major feature of the mosque is the Mihrab (a niche showing the direction to Mecca, but in this case pointing south).  This one is very ornate with mosaics and Arabic inscriptions, and actually opens to a small room (rather than just being a niche).

King Ferdinand III of Castile conquered Cordoba in 1236 and converted the mosque into a Catholic cathedral, no longer allowing Muslims to worship in it.  Over time, a portion of the mosque was changed to add Christian chapels, a new nave, and a main altarpiece.  Various other ornate pieces are also in a room serving as a museum.  UNESCO declared the Mosque-Cathedral a World Heritage Site in 1984 and added the entire center of Cordoba in 1994.   This declaration will help to preserve this amazing Mosque-Cathedral.

Granada

The Alhambra, located in Granada, is 2 ½ hours or so from Seville and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We stopped overnight on our way from Seville to Valencia.  The Alhambra is a large complex that served at various times as a palace and fortress.  It was originally built by the Nasrid Muslim dynasty with amazing Moorish architecture.  After 1492, the Christians modified and added to it. It is absolutely stunning.  I took so many pictures, but just want to put a few highlights here.  The map below gives you an idea of how large the complex is.

The courtyards of the Moorish palace buildings have water features, such as reflecting pools and fountains, as well as arches on the buildings surrounding the courtyards.

The insides of the Moorish buildings are spectacular.  Many have tiles and carved stucco.  In addition, there are inscriptions, including the one below which says “and there is no victor but God” in Arabic.

The Christians added other buildings to the complex, including the Church of Saint Mary of the Alhambra, a rather imposing structure.  Our tour did not go inside.

Our tour also included walking through the beautiful gardens and up the hillside to the Generalife, a summer palace.   From there we were able to look down on most of the Alhambra complex. 

(Don’t forget to click here to read Jonathan’s take on the Alhambra.)

We did a bit of sightseeing in Granada and saw an interesting, old building, Corral del Carbon.  It was built in the 1300s and originally served as a commercial warehouse and inn.  It clearly has the Moorish architecture of parts of the Alhambra.  We also visited a cave house near Granada, where the same family had owned and lived in the cave for generations.   It was very pleasant to sit in the cave and hear the owners talk about their dwelling. 

I know that I have only given you a taste of these places.  I highly recommend that you visit Seville, Cordoba and Granada, especially the Alhambra.

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