100 miles from
Benalmadena, Cordoba was the Muslim capital of Andalucia and has 2000
years of history. The Romans made it the capital of the province of
Baetica and under the Moors it became the biggest and most cultured city
in Europe. It sits on the Guadalquivir river with the mountains as a
backdrop. One of the world's finest buidings is here, La Mezquita - a
magnificent mosque within which was built a cathedral when the
Christians took over the city from the Moors which took 243 years to
build. There is an old Jewish quarter with a synagogue,and there is the
Alcazar de los Rios Cristianos, a palace for the Christian kings with
water gardens and a magnificent view from its tower. There is the Roman
bridge, Puente Romano, restored many times over the centuries which
leads to the Torre de la Calahorra, a 14th century guard tower where you
can see a diorama and wax figures depicting the life and history of the
Muslims, Jews and Christians in Cordoba. It has narrow winding streets
and squares which are a pleasure to roam with inns some of which are
hundreds of years old and which serve tapas, many of them unique to the
area. There are many museums and galleries including an archaeological
museum and a museum of bullfighting.
