CinX's Travels 2015

[CinX]

Granada - Albayzín - Plaza Mirador de San Nicolás by cinxxx, on Flickr

Granada - Alhambra seen from Granada - Sacromonte by cinxxx, on Flickr

Granada - Sacromonte by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Granada - Albayzín by cinxxx, on Flickr

Granada by cinxxx, on Flickr

Granada - Río Genil by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Córdoba is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. It was conquered by invading Islamic armies in the eighth century. Qurṭubah (قرطبة) then became the capital of the Islamic Emirate and then Caliphate of Córdoba, including most of the Iberian Peninsula.

During the Spanish Reconquista, Córdoba was captured by King Ferdinand III of Castile on 29 June 1236, after a siege of several months. The city was divided into 14 colaciones, and numerous new church buildings were added.

The city declined, especially after Renaissance times. In the 18th century it was reduced to just 20,000 inhabitants. The population and economy started to increase only in the early 20th century. Today it is a moderately sized modern city; its population in 2011 was about 330,000.

Córdoba has the warmest summer high temperatures in Spain and Europe with average high temperatures around 37 °C (99 °F) in July and similar heat in August.

Córdoba has the second largest Old town in Europe, the largest urban area in the world declared World Heritage by UNESCO. The most important building and symbol of the city, the Great Mosque of Córdoba and current cathedral, alongside the Roman bridge, are the best known facet of the city. Other Roman remains include the Roman Temple, the Theatre, Mausoleum, the Colonial Forum, the Forum Adiectum, an amphitheater and the remains of the Palace of the Emperor Maximian in the Archaeological site of Cercadilla, among others.

Near the cathedral is the old Jewish quarter, which consists of many irregular streets, such as Calleja de las Flores and Calleja del Pañuelo, and which is home to the Synagogue and the Sephardic House. In the extreme southwest of the Old Town is the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, a former royal property and the seat of the Inquisition; adjacent to it are the Royal Stables, a breeding place of the Andalusian horse. Near the stables are located, along the walls, the medieval Baths of the Caliphate. In the south of the Old town and east of the great cathedral, in the Plaza del Potro, is the Posada del Potro, a row of inns mentioned in literary works such as Don Quixote and La Feria de los Discretos and which remained active until 1972. Both the plaza and the inn get their name from the fountain in the centre of the plaza, which represents a foal. Not far from this plaza is the Arco del Portillo (a 14th-century arch).

Along the banks of the Guadalquivir are the Mills of the Guadalquivir, moorish era buildings that took advantage of the water force to grind flour. They include the Albolafia, Alegría, Carbonell, Casillas, Enmedio, Lope García, Martos, Pápalo, San Antonio, San Lorenzo and San Rafael mills.[citation needed]

Surrounding the large Old town are the Roman walls: gates include the Puerta de Almodóvar, the Puerta de Sevilla and Puerta del Puente, which are the only three gates remaining from the original thirteen. Towers and fortresses include the Malmuerta Tower, the Belén Tower and the Puerta del Rincón's Tower, and the fortress of the Calahorra Tower and of the Donceles Tower.

Palace buildings in the Old Town include the Palacio de Viana (14th century) and the Palacio de la Merced among others. On the outskirts of the city lies the Archaeological site of the city of Medina Azahara, which, together with the Alhambra in Granada, is one of the main Spanish-Muslim architectures in Spain.

Other sights are the Cuesta del Bailío (a staircase connecting the upper and lower part of the city) and the Minaret of San Juan, once part of a mosque.

-----

[CinX]

The place we stayed

Córdoba - Pensión El Portillo by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Pensión El Portillo by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Pensión El Portillo by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Córdoba - Calle San Fernando by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Torre de la Calahorra and Puente Romano by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral and Puente Romano by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

The Calahorra Tower (Spanish: Torre de la Calahorra) is a fortified gate in the Historic centre of Córdoba, Spain, of Islamic origin.

The tower was built during the late 12th century by the Almohads to protect the nearby Roman Bridge on the Guadalquivir. The tower, standing on the left bank of the river, originally consisted of an arched gate between two square towers.

The building was restored in 1369 by king Henry II of Castile. A third tower was added to the existing ones, in the shape of two cylinder connecting them.

The tower was declared a national historical monument in 1931.
The restoration of the tower, along with the Roman Bridge, Gate of the Bridge and surrounding area, was awarded the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Award in 2014.

Córdoba - Torre de la Calahorra by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Puente Romano with Mezquita–Catedral and historic center in the background seen from Torre de la Calahorra by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - View from Torre de la Calahorra towards historic center by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Córdoba - Torre de la Calahorra by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Torre de la Calahorra by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Torre de la Calahorra by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

The Roman bridge of Córdoba is a bridge in the Historic centre of Córdoba, Andalusia, southern Spain, built in the early 1st century BC across the Guadalquivir river.

It is included in the small preserved area known as Sotos de la Albolafia.

The bridge was built by the Romans in the early 1st century BC, perhaps replacing a previous one in wood. It currently, after the Islamic reconstruction, has 16 arcades, one less than original ones, and a total length of 247 meters. The width is around 9 meters.

The Via Augusta, which connected Rome to Cádiz, most likely passed through it. During the early Islamic domination the Muslim governor Al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani ordered a bridge to be built on the ruins of what was left of the old Roman construction. In the Middle Ages, the Calahorra Tower and the Puerta del Puente were built at the bridge's southern and northern ends, respectively (the latter is now a 16th-century reconstruction). The bridge was reconstructed and expanded to its current size. The arches depict the famous Moorish architecture that dominates the city's scenery. In the 17th century, a sculpture depicting St. Raphael was put in the mid of the bridge, executed by Bernabé Gómez del Río.

During its history, the bridge was restored and renovated several times (in particular in the 10th century), and now only the 14th and 15th arches (counting from the Puerta del Puente) are original. It was extensively restored in 2006.

Córdoba - Puente Romano with Torre de la Calahorra in the background by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Puerta del Puente by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Plaza del Triunfo by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Córdoba - Puerta del Puente with Torre de la Calahorra in the background by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Calle del Corregidor Luis de la Cerda by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Plaza del Triunfo by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Córdoba - Calle Torrijos by cinxxx, on Flickr

The Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba (Spanish: Mezquita–catedral de Córdoba), also known as the Great Mosque of Córdoba (Spanish: Mezquita de Córdoba), whose ecclesiastical name is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Assumption (Spanish: Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción), is the Catholic cathedral of the Diocese of Córdoba dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and located in the Spanish region of Andalusia. The structure is regarded as one of the most accomplished monuments of Moorish architecture.

It originally was a Catholic church built by the Visigoths; however, this claim is disputed by some archaeologists. When Muslims conquered Spain in 711, the church was first divided into Muslim and Christian halves. This sharing arrangement of the site lasted until 784, when the Christian half was purchased by the Emir 'Abd al-Rahman I, who then proceeded to demolish the entire structure and build the grand mosque of Cordoba on its ground. After the Reconquista, it was converted to a Roman Catholic church, culminating in the insertion of a Renaissance cathedral nave in the 16th century.

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

[nenea_hartia]

Splendid!

[CinX]

^^Mulţam!

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba - Mezquita–Catedral by cinxxx, on Flickr

[CinX]

Rainy narrow streets...

Córdoba - Calle Deanes by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba by cinxxx, on Flickr

Córdoba by cinxxx, on Flickr