Great  Mosque of Córdoba

Parts in a mosque There are three parts in the mosque: minaret,

courtyard and prayer hall.

Minaret

• it was built by caliph Abderraman III in the 10th century. The remains are surrounded by the Christian belfry built in the 16th century.

10th century Now

Patio• Although nowadays it is called Orange trees

patio, it originally contained olive trees, cypresses, and fountains.

ChapelIt was widened several times in the 8th, 9th and 10th

centuries.

Abderraman I (8th Century) The mosque was built using materials from older

buildings and superimposing arches like in the Roman aqueducts.

Abderraman II (9th Century) He enlarged the mosque due to the increase in

population. He imitated Abderraman I, but he engraved some capitals with new materials and design. They are known as capitals with leaves.

Alhakén II (10th Century)The enlargement he made is the most ornamented. The columns alternate their colour and the capitals are called wasps’ nest. He built beautiful domes as well as the mihrab, decorated with fine mosaics.

Almanzor (10th Century)He made the biggest enlargement of the mosque, but because of the proximity of the river on the south, he made it to the east, where we still can see the remains of the primitive doors.

ACTIVITIES

1) Match the words in the two columns

Match the people in A with the words related to them in B in the e construction of the Mosque of Córdoba.

A BB

Almanzor domes

Abderramán II minaret

Alhakén II enlargement to the east

Abaderramán III capitals with leaves

2) True/False

Write T (true) or F (false) in the following statements:

• The Christian bell tower was built in the 20th century.• In its origins, the Orange trees Patio contained olive

trees and cypresses • Alhakén II made the richest and most beautiful

enlargement.• The Mosque was built between the 7th and 10th

centuries• The whole mosque was made with new materials.

3) Fill in the gaps

The great mosque of Córdoba was began by _________ in the __________. After it was enlarged several times, the last and biggest one was made by ____________ in the _________ century. The reason for these enlargements was the constant increase of ____________ in Córdoba at that time.

The inner arches are superimposed like in the _____________ aqueducts. Although in the beginning the materials used came from older buildings, in the 10th century some ___________ were engraved with wasps’ nest capitals and the mirhab was decorated with beautiful _____________. After some centuries the primitive minaret was covered by the christian ___________ .

Roman population 10th mosaics courtyard 8th century columns Almanzor

Abderramán I belfry

4) Define briefly the following words:

• Mihrab

• Dome

• Aqueduct

• Column

• Capital.

THE END

Text, Photo Selection and Design: Translation:Rafael Jiménez María Dolores Galera