Dating from the 8th century, the Mezquita was the crowning Muslin architectural achievement in the West, rivaled only by the mosque at Mecca. It is a fantastic labyrinth of red-and-white peppermint-striped pillars. To the astonishment of visitors, a cathedral now sits awkwardly in the middle of the mosque, disturbing the purity of the lines. The 16th century cathedral, a blend of many styles, is impressive in its own right, with an intricately carved ceiling and baroque choir stalls. Additional ill-conceived annexes later turned the Mezquita into an architectural oddity. Its most interesting feature is the mihrab, a domed shrine of Byzantine mosaics that once housed the Koran.
7 - 8 September 2000
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belltower  |
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belltower, nightime closeup  |
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Patio de los Naranjos  |
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Arches of the maqsura  |
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Cathedral high altar  |
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to the mihrab  |
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mosque  |
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