The Historic Cities in Andalucía Region of Spain
Here we visited Seville and Cordoba in Andalucía! These are two famous historic cities in southern Spain, both previously occupied by the Romans and later by the Moors.
This post is an extension of our previous travel blog on our Road Trip through the Extremadura Region – Driving from Madrid to Seville and delves into the history and culture of the area.
Seville and Cordoba each reflect the cultural legacy of the Moors and is especially evident in fine art, calligraphy, and architecture. The Moors also left behind sophisticated irrigation systems where the appreciation of water is evident in everyday architecture, domestic courtyards and patios, as well as elaborate palace gardens and grounds.
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Historical Summary of Andalucía
Seville & Cordoba, Andalucía
In 206 BC, the Romans invaded the southern part of Iberian peninsula, which they called Betis. They navigated its main river (the Guadalquivir) as far as Cordoba, and exported olive oil, wheat, and wine back to Rome.
Then in 411 AD, after several Gothic invasions and with the Roman Empire in decline, the Vandals invaded from the north and established Vandalusia, giving a new name to this southern part of Europe.
The Moors arrived in 711 AD and stayed for the next eight centuries. Their legacy can be seen in the architectural beauty left behind in Seville’s Alcazar, Granada’s Alhambra Palace, and the Mosque of Cordoba.
The religious harmony between the Jews, Moors, and Christians ended in 1236, when the Christians from the north began the Re-Conquest. Cordoba fell in 1236, followed by Seville in 1248. The Kingdom of Granada, conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492, (the same year Columbus sailed from an Andalusian port, Palos in Huelva Province to the New World.)
Seville and Cordoba – Andalucía
Here we cover our visit to the two more cities in the Andalucía region of Spain, each with its own unique characteristics: Seville and Cordoba, Andalucía.
Seville
Seville, the capital of Andalucía, is home to the Alcazar Palace, the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See, and the Plaza de España. Oranges blossoms, great food and lively Flamenco music and dance can be found here as well as bullfighting, which is being challenged by animal rights activists but is still showcased.
Arriving into the Seville city center, we passed the large park area (Parque de María Luisa), as we followed the River Guadalquivir.
The Ibero-American Exposition of 1929, was held partly within the Parque de Maria Luisa and showcases some of the most beautiful architecture of the time.
Navigating the city center of Seville can be tricky and it’s easy to get lost.
Here is some helpful info…
When is the best time in Seville for the fragrant orange blossoms?
The prime time for orange blossoms in the city is from late February to early March. The air is fragrant and the blossoms signal Spring and rebirth.
These oranges do make great marmalade, but you may want to forgo biting in to them as they are very bitter. (Learned the hard way!)
There are numerous historical site markers which can help with directions when needed. One took us to the Torre del Oro (The Golden Tower of Seville) which we saw many times that afternoon circling the old town on the way to our hotel.
The Golden Tower, built in the 13th century, controlled access to Seville via the Guadalquivir river. The tower also served as a prison in the middle ages.
The Plaza de Toros (The Bullfighting Arena) is further down the road. Not just any old bull ring, this is the largest and most important bullfighting arena in the world. It hosts a festival annually during the Feria de Abril (mid April) that accommodates 13,000 spectators.
Accommodation Close to the Sights
We booked a traditional boutique hotel:
Hotel Murillo Lope de Rueda, 7 y 9, Old town, 41004 Seville, Spain
in the Santa Cruz (The Jewish Quarter) is close to the Alcazar and the Cathedral. Pay attention to where you are going as these alleys are narrow and winding!
Boomer Alert: Travel light and make sure your small suitcase has strong wheels to endure centuries-old cobblestones.
Here is a map showing the different city neighborhoods in Seville.
Santa Cruz
Barrio (neighborhood) Santa Cruz is vibrant yet relatively quiet despite being full of tapas bars, restaurants, plazas, and boutiques with local ceramics, crafts, and souvineers. Santa Cruz is the oldest neighborhood in Seville, complete with historic landmarks and orange-tree-lined squares.
Annual Weather in Seville
Boomer Alert: The climate of Seville, the capital of Andalucía, is defined as Mediterranean, but beware it has a scorching hot summer. In mid summer, Seville and Cordoba are generally the hottest cities in Spain as well as Europe and many businesses and restaurants close during summer months.
Visiting The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See (Cathedral de Santa María de la Sede)
St. Mary of the See is a massive structure! The interior extends 117 meters (384 feet) in length, 76 meters (249 feet) in width, and reaches to 40 meters (131 feet) in height. The interior, laid out on a rectangular floor plan, is wide with five aisles. We stood in awe of the massive pipe organ.
Main Chapel (Capilla Mayor) of St. Mary’s
The cathedral contains a masterpiece of Gothic woodcarving behind the alter featuring the Virgen de la Sede (Virgin of the See). With over 44 reliefs which include 200+ saints, the Life of Christ and the Life of the Virgin lines the wall. Gold brought back from the plunder of the newly discovered Americas. (Thus the Age of Discovery, also known as the Golden Age of Spain.) This gold gilds the Ritablo Mayor (main alter piece). This alter took over a span of 80 years (1482-1564) to create. All conquering aside, it’s a beautiful piece of artwork and with an interesting history.
Royal Chapel (Capilla Real)
Behind the Capilla Mayor is the Royal Chapel. Built in the 16th-century style, this Renaissance chapel contains tombs of royalty, and then some.
Gold and Silver
Giralda – the Bell Tower of St. Mary’s
Over the years, mosques replaced churches which replaced mosques. The Cathedral of St. Mary’s of the See’s minaret morphed into La Giralda – the preserved tower of the demolished mosque which was replaced by the Cathedral. Got it?
The Giralda Tower provided us with some stunning views over the city center and was worth the 104 meter (340 foot) climb!
Columbus’ Tomb
Famous and infamous alike, the Cathedral of St. Mary’s of the See is the resting place for some fascinating people. One being Christopher Columbus, navigator, explorer, plunderer, and enslaver. Columbus had a deal with King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella promised 10 per cent of any merchandise “acquired” on his voyages to export Catholicism, find a spice route, and claim land for Spain. The story isn’t pretty but the history is captivating. Four figures representing the kingdoms of Spain during Columbus’ lifetime: Navarre, Aragon, Castile, and Leon, carry his coffin.
Originally built for the Cathedral of Havana in Cuba, Columbus’ tomb but was moved around and finally landed in Seville.
Visit are other Travel Blog Post – Driving Madrid to Seville through Extremadura Region
Royal Alcazar of Seville
The Royal Alcazar of Seville is Europe’s oldest palace in use and is worth a long visit! Dating back to the 11th century, Muslim authorities built this fortress in a strategic area of Seville to guarantee its safety. It is registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along with the adjoining Seville Cathedral.
The palace is well-known for its tile decoration of two main types of tiles: majolica and arista. Majolica — glazed in a white glaze, fired, and decorated with colorful enamels by hand. The arista — stamped with raised edges and glazed with transparent glazes that pull and aren’t flat. Both are beautiful examples of local art. We bought numerous tiles in souvenir shops but I cannot tell you if any are arista or majolica.
To access the The Sala de Justicia (Courtroom of Justice) you have to pass through the Patio del León. This Courtroom of Justice, built about 1340 AD during the reign of Alfonso XI of Castile, is in impressive Mudejar style with a square floor plan.
The Sala de Justicia leads to the Patio del Yeso. Built at the end of the 12th century by Ali al-Ghumari, this courtyard comes is complete with a pool in the center with arcaded arches on each of its sides.
Seville Gardens at Alcazar
Eating in Seville-Santa Cruz Area Restaurants,Tapas Bars and Cafes
Santa Cruze is considered the main tourist area of Seville and offers plenty of great restaurants, tapas bars, and cafes. Being a tourist area, prices may be a little higher than other areas, but there’s plenty to choose from. Finding places that were open when we were hungry was a challenge, as we are used to eating dinner (as the main meal) between 6 – 8pm.
Boomer Alert: Sevillians eat a hot meal twice a day. The first meal is lunch between two and four o’clock, followed by, of course, the siesta. Dinner, which is a lighter meal, takes place between 9 and 11:30 in the evening. [From 1 a.m. onwards, the young locals go to the clubs].
Bars / Restaurants in Santa Cruz we enjoyed
El Rincón De Murillo – a popular Bar & Grill next door to our hotel
Café Santacruz – Tapas & Bar – great tapas!!
Las Teresas – Tapas & Bar – more great tapas!!
Restaurante Donaire Azabache – traditional Andalusian and Sevillian cuisine
Other Things to Do in Seville
- Flamenco Show: We found numerous Flamenco shows and picked a popular one close to our hotel El Arenal. Romantic and energetic dancing; we had a great time!
- BullFight: It’s not our thing but if you wish to see a bullfight check out the schedule at this website and order tickets well in advance.
- Food and Wine Tours: We missed out on these but they seem popular. Check out Seville Food Sherpas.
- Walking Tours: There are various walking tours which offer history and culture. Check out https://sevillawalkingtours.com/
From Seville to Cordoba
Cordoba is a short drive from Seville:
Boomer Alert: Córdoba (like Seville) has the highest summer temperatures in Spain and Europe. Average high temperatures around 37 °C (99 °F) in July and August require cool summer clothing (but proper clothes when entering mosques and churches.) Summers are very dry and winters are mild with frequent rainfall.
Carmona
Carmona is an ancient market town about 30 minutes outside Seville and is known for wine, olive oil, grain, and beef.
Interesting sites worth a visit in Carmona include:
- The Moorish fortress or Alcazar which rises above the Puerta de Sevilla (Gate of Sevilla).
- Roman Necropolis (Graveyard) – interesting archeological site which offers a walking tour.
- Roman Puerta Cordoba (Gates of Cordoba) – built by Romans over even more ancient Arabic gates, now part of UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The town also has a Parador with stunning views of the plains and the countryside.
Cordoba History & Background
We love Cordoba!
Cordoba, once the capital of Islamic Spain, is famous for Moorish architecture, particularly the Mezquita. The Mesquita is a famous historic Mosque-Cathedral, and was probably the highlight of our visit to Andalucía. It is UNESCO World Heritage Site which has been expanded to encompass the whole historic center of Córdoba. The city of Cordoba is small, with narrow, winding streets flanked by flowering courtyards and patios. We walked away remembering the architecture and the flowers. The people are nice too.
Córdoba has an intriguing history. Captured by the Moors in 711, Cordoba, by the 10th century, was considered one of the most advanced cities in the world. Numerous revolts, sieges, and wars happened over time:
- Córdoba, seized by force in 1091 by the Almoravids then in 1121, the population revolted against the abuses of the Almoravid governor.
- Ferdinand III Catholic King of Leon entered the city on 29 June 1236, following a siege of several months bringing Christianity back to Cordoba.
- The city experienced a golden age between 1530 and 1580 with the riches coming from the New World.
- On 18 July 1936, the military governor of the province, Colonel Ciriaco Cascajo, launched the Nationalist coup in the city, bombing the civil government and arresting the civil governor, Rodríguez de León these actions ignited the Spanish Civil War.
Our Accommodation near Historic Center
We booked Hotel Eurostars Maimonides booked with Bookings.com. We liked it’s location (adjacent to the Mesquita and close to the Jewish Quarter), and it’s on-site parking.
The hotel is named after Maimonides who was Sephardic rabbi and philosopher born in Cordoba. Maimonides became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle Ages.
Boomer Alert: There are strict rules on driving in the Cordoba historic district and barriers to limit car access. Contact the hotel prior to arrival to reserve car parking space. They will provide information necessary to bypass the barrier.
Restaurants & Tapas Bars – eating in Cordoba
Restaurante Maimónides – a good restaurant and bar in the hotel
Las Tapas de Casa Pepe – comfortable restaurant and Tapas Bar
Restaurante Patio Romano – fine restaurant with Jamón ibérico cebo Belloterra del Valle de Los Pedroches on the menu
Mesquita Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba
The Umayyad Caliphate or Umayyad Empire was the second caliphate established after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty.
The original mosque was built between 785 and 988 AD. It is one of the earliest and grandest monuments of Islamic Spain, or Al-Andalus.
The building is massive with 856 columns supporting its stunning double-stacked arches. It sprawls over 24,000 square meters or 6 acres of space.
Mezquita Mosque-Cathedral Visiting Hours
- March – October: Monday-Saturday from 10:00 am – 7:00 pm; Sunday from 8:30 am – 11:30 pm and 3:00 pm – 7:00 pm.
- November – February: Monday-Saturday from 10.00 am – 6.00 pm; Sunday from 8:30 am – 11:30 pm and 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm.
Mesquita Arches – An Engineer’s Perspective
Moorish architecture was greatly influenced by the ancient Roman Aqueducts and Battle Triumph Arches.
The framework of columns allows a system of double arches creating the sense of openness.
Double Arches
The mosque was decorated from the columns various crumbling churches and palaces in the city as well as a Christian church that was demolished on the site. If you look closely, you’ll also notice that the columns are not all the same. Many of these columns were recycled from the area’s crumbling Roman, Byzantine, and Visigothic structures. Some columns are marble; others are granite or jasper. Interesting history! The original prayer hall could hold up to 5,000 worshipers and over the course of a couple centuries, the mosque grew to four times its original size holding over 9,000 worshipers.
Best time to visit Cordoba Mezquita
The general advice is that the best time to visit the Mezquita is first thing in the morning or last thing in the afternoon. Essentially, you want to avoid the time between 10 am and 4 pm when the tour buses from Sevilla, Granada and Malaga arrive.
We found between 3 and 4pm a good time to visit.
Visitor Guide and Layout of Mesquita Mosque-Cathedral
DOWNLOAD Copy of Mestique Visitor Guide
PDF Copy of the Visitor Guide and Layout of The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba
Patio de los Naranjos
A beautiful patio surrounds the walls of the Mezquita and is lush with orange trees as well as cypress and palms. The garden one of the oldest walled gardens of the Islamic world today. There are water basins and fountains to prepare for prayer.
The Oldest Part of the Cordoba Mosque
As you enter the first part of Mezquita is the oldest part of the mosque, built by Abd Al Rahman I. It’s an amazing sight.
Abd ar-Rahman I’s initial prayer hall – the area immediately inside today’s visitor entrance – was divided into 11 ‘naves’ by lines of arches striped in red brick and white stone.
The columns of these arches were a mix of different stone and other materials collected from the earlier church on the site, Córdoba’s Roman buildings.
The Mihrab
Al-Hakim aimed to imitate the mosaics of the Great Mosque of Damascus and asked the emperor of Byzantium for help to find a mosaicist. He received advise as well as a gift of 1600 kg of gold mosaic cubes. The cubes were then shaped into flower motifs with inscriptions from the Quran. It’s this gold that gives the mihrab portal its enchanting glitter. Inside the mihrab, a single block of white marble sculpted into the shape of a scallop shell, a symbol of the Quran, forms the dome. From here, the voice of the imam is amplified throughout the mosque.
The mihrab is the spiritual heart of the Cordoba mosque and the most lavishly decorated part of the building.
The pillars and arches here, form arcades that appear to be infinite.
More scenes within the Mosque-Cathedral
The Cathedral
Córdoba was taken from the Moors by Ferdinand III in 1236 and the Mezquita remained in place as a Cathedral for 300 years. In 16th century, King Carlos granted permission to take out the centre of the Mosque Mezquita to install a new High Altar (Capilla Mayor).
Capilla Mayor
The High Altar began in 1618 and was completed with the Eucharistic temple in 1653.
Minaret Tower
This minaret tower, built by Abderraman III, is preserved inside the current bell tower. Hernán Ruiz II partially demolished the old minaret and completed the body of bell work. The clock was added by Juan Sequero de Matilla in the 17th century. Talk about a patchwork!
More Places to See in Cordoba
Cordoba is a smaller more compact city than Seville, and the historic district is easy to walk aroundto see the various places of interest, especially in the early evening when the tour buses have departed.
Alcazar de los Reyes Cristianos
Also known as Alcázar of Córdoba it is located near the Mosque-Cathedral the fortress was one of residences of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon.
The Alcázar forms part of the Historic Center of Córdoba that was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994.
Calleja de las Flores (Flower Alley)
Near the famous Mezquita Mosque Calleja de las Flores is one of the most popular photo ops in Cordoba. We took dozens of photos! Best time to go here is early May when the geraniums are in their full bloom.
In Cordoba especially in the historic district homeowners take pride in decorating their patios and courtyards with pots of flowers. The Moors continued the Roman example of decorating courtyards as a way of keeping their homes cool.
Since 1921, they have taken on a special role with the Cordovan Patios Festiva (La Fiesta de los Patios de Cordoba).
Jewish Quarter
The Judería de Córdoba, is the area the Jews lived between the 10th and 15th centuries. Similar to there area we stayed in Seville, it has narrow alleyways with small shops and cafes.
Mills of the Cordoba on Guadalquivir River
The Guadalquivir River is navigable from Seville to the Gulf of Cádiz but in Roman times it was navigable from Cordoba. From the Albolafia Mill and near the Martos Mill, piers from the silted-up river can be seen today.
The iconic Albolafia powered a scoop wheel which powered a flour mill and lifted water from the river to the nearby Alcázar gardens.