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The construction of the magnificent Mosque of Cordoba began in 784 CE in Cordoba, the capital of Muslim Spain, or al-Andalus, but was reworked for two centuries until 987, when it was the second largest mosque in the world, with a distinctive “forest” of slim, exquisite columns and decorated walls. It was transformed into a cathedral after the reconquest of Cordoba in 1236.

 Al-Askari Mosque Samarra, Iraq

Name: Mosque of Cordoba

Material:
Dome: Polycrome gold and glass
mosaic tile
Columns: Jasper, onyx, marble, and granite

Size: 22,250 square meters

Date: 784–987 CE

Place of Origin: Cordoba, Spain

Location: Cordoba, Spain

Source and Registration#:
Wikimedia Commons
(accessed April 30, 2010).

Wadad Kadi

Avalon Foundation Distinguished Service Professor of Islamic Studies, Emerita, Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations, University of Chicago