Cordoba

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER

As Córdoba looks beautiful from above, we want to take you to a place where you can take a breathtaking photo. With the Guadalquivir under your feet and some of the city´s most famous monuments in the background. We are talking about the Hesperia hotel´s terrace. It is centrally located, about 5 minutes walking after the Roman bridge. You can go up to its terrace to eat or have a drink and, of course, use that opportunity to take amazing photos of this beautiful area. Right in front of us, we can find the "Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos", built under Alfonso XI´s order where there used to be an old Andalusian Alcázar.


There, we can observe architectural remains from the Romans, Visigoths and Arabs, as it has had different construction periods. It has also had other uses, such as the Holy See or a prison.To complete this spectacular photo, very close to the Alcázar is the Mosque, the icon of Córdoba and the city´s caliphal past´s glory.


So, from the heights, you will be able to contemplate this wonderful picture with two of Córdoba´s main monuments and the entire city. Let´s not forget, of course, the river that crosses the city and is located under your feet.


Address;


Hotel Hesperia, Fray Albino, 1

SHALL WE TRY THE AUBERGINE?

This fruit was brought to Spain by the Muslims. They knew it from their trips to Asia, which had been cultivated for more than 2000 years. However, this fruit was not always used in the kitchen. People did not know how to cook it, so it remained for a long time as a decorative plant. Nowadays, luckily for everyone, its use is widespread across the country, and there is a specific way of preparing it that is typical in this city:—battered aubergines.


You have indeed tried them, at least once, cut into slices, soaked in beer (so that when you fry them, they do not absorb too much oil), battered in all-purpose flour and then fried. But in Córdoba, this way of preparing them is not very common. Here, they are generally served with cane honey. Cane honey is made from a juice that comes out of the sugar cane without bees´ interference. It is commonly called cane honey, but it would be a sugar cane treacle because only bees can produce it.


We assure you that this juice on top of the aubergines makes them an absolute delight. In addition to cane honey, you can also try them with the typical salmorejo, which is a soup made out of tomato and bread, cold and very dense. Undoubtedly, thinking of a cold soup is not appealing for many people, but it is just a matter of trying it, and you will love it. You can find this dish in any bar or restaurant almost everywhere in Córdoba.


Whether with honey or with salmorejo, aubergines are delicious. For this reason, please don´t leave the city without trying them! Many places around the historic centre serve them.

JEWRY – JEWISH NEIGHBOURHOOD "LA JUDERIA"

A few meters from the Mosque of Córdoba, one of the city´s most famous monuments, are the shopping streets such as Gondomar street, Cruz Conde street, Gran Capitán Boulevard, and many more. This area is full of unique shops and boutiques. However, suppose we are looking for something typical of the city, the so-called souvenirs. In that case, we should get closer to the Mosque or the Jewish quarter. It is important to highlight that, in 2014, the Andalusian Government declared the historic centre of Córdoba as an Area of ??Artisanal Interest.


Knowing this, we will not run out of options when it comes to buying souvenirs. You can find ceramics made with the clays of the different colours from the lands around Córdoba and decorated with designs from the Muslim era. You can also find gold or silver jewellery. The Cordoban filigree (threads that form a figure) stands out. There are also different products made of typical leather of the area. There are still few family workshops that have run for a long time in the city and where you can find authentic polychrome leather jewels.And… of course!


Typical flamencodresses, especially for girls.In addition to being used for representations of flamenco, they are also considered one of the Andalusian culture´s symbols.


Jewish Quarter.

ON THE BRIDGE

Depending on where you enter the historic centre of Córdoba, you will find many surprises, as this city never stops surprising us. In case you do so by crossing the Guadalquivir river through the Roman bridge of Córdoba. In that case, you will have one of the best photographs of the city.This bridge, built in the 1st century at the time of Emperor Augustus, is also known as the old bridge because it was the only one that existed in Córdoba for twenty centuries. It has survived to these days and continues being the access to travellers who enter the city from the south.


Coming from the Campo de la Verdad neighbourhood towards the Cathedral neighbourhood, one can reach the bridge crossing the river through the Torre de la Calahorra from the 12th century, a fortress of Islamic origin conceived to protect the bridge. Today the tower houses the headquarters of the Al-Andalus Living Museum. After entering and admiring the tower, stop when you get to the middle of the bridge. Take a nice picture as on one side, you will have the Calahorra tower.


On the other side, you will have the most prominent architectural monument of the city in the background: the Cathedral Mosque of Córdoba. It began to be built in 784. It was the largest Mosque in the world after Mecca and the third with the construction of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. After the reconquest of Córdoba by the Christians in 1236, the Mosque was used for their religious celebrations until the 16th century. After that, the cathedral was built in a Renaissance style, occupying part of the Mosque´s interior.


This is what we can see nowadays.Another thing that you will see from the bridge will be the Puerta del Puente, one of the three gates preserved at the city entrance. And if you are a fan of the Game of Thrones series, you have to know that this bridge appears in the TV show representing the long bridge in the city of Volantis.


Address


Puente Romano

ROYAL STABLES

One of the traditions that continue in this city is horse breeding.Felipe II founded the Royal Stables of Córdoba in 1570 to raise purebred horses, which would be the origin of the Andalusian horse, and use the stables for the Royal Family. The chosen place was the same one where the old stables from the Caliphal era were located.And the stones used to build it were brought from the ancient city of Medina Azahara.In this building, Arab and Andalusian horses have been bred and cared for, used for hitching carriages, dressage and insemination of mares. Unfortunately, in 1735 the original building was caught on fire.


Its reconstruction was immediate and inaugurated during the reign of Carlos III.Some days, in addition to visiting the stables, you can attend an equestrian show, "Passion and Duende of the Andalusian horse", where you can enjoy different types of horse riding, dressage and dancing.Some Spanish cinema films have been shot here, such as the famous Carmen of Vicente Aranda, inspired by the opera Carmen by Bizet.


Address


Royal Stables 1

ŠABBÚTA

With this name, the Arabs called a fish that, for the Latin translation, remained Japuta.Surely the hardness of its skin and scales did not make it very appetizing. Nevertheless, this particular name appears in all the menus of restaurants in Córdoba.It is also known as the black palometa, it lives in deep-sea waters, and the best time to eat it is summer. So, of course, just like that, you don´t want to try it, right? But, if you dare to sink your teeth into this typical recipe of Córdoba made of crab in battered marinade, you will be fascinated by its delicate flavour.


You have to marinate the fish in a "sauce" made from oregano garlic, oil, salt, vinegar and water and leave it for 24 hours. After it comes out of the marinade, you just have to coat it with flour and fry it.A fantastic place to try it is the Taberna de la Sociedad de Plateros located on María Auxiliadora street n ° 24. The funny way the waiters talk and order the dishes helps to put the icing on this delicacy.

TUNNELS UNDER THE MOSQUE

Occupying more than 25,000 m2 and supported on 856 columns of granite, marble and jade on which 365 horseshoe arches are kept in two colours is the Mosque, the most remarkable example of the splendour of the Muslim Caliphate in our peninsula. It was started by Abderramán I in 784 AD and his work continued with four more caliphs: Abderramán II, Abderramán III, Halaken II and Almanzor.One of the curiosities of this Mosque is that the qibla wall is not oriented to Mecca, as the Quran indicates.


Instead, it is oriented towards the south, a fact that is repeated in the Andalusian mosques. Miscalculation or intentionality? Córdoba had separated from the Caliphate of Baghdad, and they were independent.Most people tried to imitate the Mosque of Damascus also oriented to the south and belonging to the Umayyad family. But another curiosity may be unknown: The tunnels under the Mosque. Some are famous legends, and although there is no documentation in this regard, tradition has brought it to our days.


For example, the one that tells us about a very long tunnel connected the Mosque with the old and brilliant city of Medina Azahara, built by Abderramán III on the outskirts of Córdoba.According to legend, the tunnel has not yet been discovered. It was used for the Caliph on horseback to get from his residence to his place of worship. But, like all legends, it has been based on something. The basis is that there are passageways that connect the Mosque with another place. One of them is the one that goes to the Jewish quarter, the one that combines the Mosque with the old baths Caliphs or even a tunnel of which we do have documentation but has unfortunately been destroyed.


This Sabbat passage connected the Umayyad Alcázar with the Aljama Mosque.

LOS PATIOS

In private houses open to the public, we can see one of the world´s most beautiful and colourful shows: the patios. The patios are an architectural fusion of the Roman and Muslim worlds.They live their maximum splendour during May with the Festival of the Patios, where all the owners of patios in Córdoba participate. They are not open only at that time, but all year round.Whitewashed walls covered with hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of pots painted with bright colours that contrast with the colour of the walls full of blossoming plants.


We find this when crossing the threshold of any of these specially located jewels in the historical centre. Imagine watering those hundreds of pots that are scattered on the walls, some higher than others.The care and dedication to the placement, cleaning and watering, is just outstanding! For this, they use a cañilata, a reed to which a can is attached to and which serves to carry the water to the highest pots on the walls. But you can imagine how many hours a day they dedicate to these tasks!


So, thinking about the time they spend to beautify their patios, we will reciprocate by visiting them. It would be a sin to leave Córdoba without having seen any of them. The first Courtyard Contest started in 1921, and they began participating and competing against each other without any other purpose. Little by little, it was organized, and it was only suspended in the years of the Civil War. Finally, the Courtyard Competition has been included as one more act of the Cordoban Fair. There are now two sections: old patios and new patios.


In some cases, these places were the meeting point of up to 6 different homes, so they all fixed and cared for it.One of the most accessible routes that can be done due to its proximity to the historic centre is the patios of the San Basilio neighbourhood. This neighbourhood is one of the oldest in the city. Although today it is known as the neighbourhood of the patios, it was previously known as the Old Alcázar neighbourhood. The neighbourhood began to be built at the end of the 14thcentury. Today due to the fame of its patios, it is one of the most visited ones. Although there are many more to see, we are going to go through four famous and award-winning patios:


-San Basilio, 14, with 600 pots of gipsies, geraniums, begonias, carnations. It was awarded in the old courtyards section.


-Martin de Roa, 7, with 500 flowerpots, this neighbourhood patio preserves some elements that perfectly define it as an old communal patio. It was awarded in the old courtyards section.


-Duartas, 2, with 400 pots and a unique construction between a new house and a traditional house, mixes its plants between old and latest varieties. It was awarded in the new patios section.


-Postrera, 28, this 16th-century patio is a magical corner with hundreds of flowerpots that amaze us with their colours and smells. It was awarded in the old courtyards section.


Leaving the neighbourhood of San Basilio, there are also other patios that, due to their particular characteristics it is essential to mention:


-Patio del Trueque located on Calle Trueque n ° 4, in the San Lorenzo neighbourhood, one of the most beautiful in the city and nowadays the Interpretation Centre of the courtyard festival. It was declared Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.And suppose you want to see several patios in one. In that case, a must-see is the Palacio de Viana, in the Plaza de Don Gómez, in the Santa Marina neighbourhood.


Stately palace with five centuries of history and twelve magnificent courtyards linked by galleries. The patios are decorated not only with pots but all kinds of plants, trees and shrubs for our delight.A true stately jewel that currently belongs to the Cajasur cultural foundation and has adapted the palace rooms as a museum.


So, whoever decides to visit this house will have double enjoyment.

LAS TENDILLAS SQUARE

In the vicinity of the Roman forum, we can find one of the most charming squares in the city.In the 14th century, this square already existed. That was the place used to locate the houses of the commanders of the Order of Calatrava. They received these lands for their services to the city together with some shops. Thus, this space would be later called the Tendillas of Calatrava. In the last century, the square underwent different renovations that gave it its current state.Right in the centre of the square, there is a statue of the Great Captain, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, born in Montilla (Córdoba) in 1453.


He was a soldier under the orders of the Catholic Monarchs, creator of the first Spanish professional army besides being one of the most prominent military men in many campaigns highlighting the conquest of Granada.In addition to beautiful fountains, the square is surrounded by various buildings and palaces representing the different periods in which the square was remodelled. We also find the famous Clock of Tendillas, which, according to tradition, is the one that everyone will look at on December 31rst at midnight to celebrate New Year´s.


It also has a peculiar guitar sound every time it plays the hours. In that square, there is a beautiful palace known for housing an insurance company and the siren that warned the people of Córdoba about the bombings during the Civil War. There is also a modernist building, Casa Colomera, belonging to the Counts of Colomera, today converted into a hotel.A square is a place for meetings, walks and celebrations. So here is one of the best places to sit on any of its terraces, take a break and carpe diem.


Plaza de las Tendillas.