Moorish Magic
Sunlight filtering through the dome above the mihrab, Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain
Sunlight filtering through the center dome above the maqsura (royal enclosure) in the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba, Spain. The screened off maqsura is an elongated space in front of the mihrab, the mosque’s prayer room. The elaborately decorated walls and domes of the maqsura were part of the 962–966 CE mosque expansion by al-Hakam II, the second Caliph of Córdoba. He ruled al-Andalus from 961-976 CE. During his reign, Cordoba flourished as an international center for the arts and science. Hakam amassed a library containing over 400,000 volumes.
Hakam is said to have imported Byzantine artisans to complete the gilded mosaics.
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There are many places I look forward to experiencing both photographically and spiritually in the world. Cordoba and Granada, Spain, homes of Moorish history and culture, are two such places. Your mosque photo is deeply inspiring for me. Thank you for sharing it and a bit of its backstory.
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I loved Spain. I want to go back. We had such a short time in Cordoba and it deserves more.
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I suppose it’s one of the reasons I don’t feel too bad I’ve not gone yet. I want the time to explore it at leisure if possible!
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