Spain/Andalusia: Córdoba – Mezquita de Córdoba

The Mosque of Cordoba aka Cathedral of Cordoba is one of the finest example of Moorish architecture in the world. Originally, there was a small catholic church here until the Muslim armies took over the Iberian peninsula in 711. For the nest 73 years, the church had a shared dual arrangement for Muslim and Christian halves. That ended when Emir Rahman I demolished the church and built the Grand Mosque of Cordoba. Three centuries later the Christian rule returned and mosque was converted back into a cathedral, although all the elements of the Islamic architecture remained intact. The cathedral is amazing inside and out – the walls, the doors, the naves, the gates, and most incredible the arches inside.