The Great Mosque of Cordoba

A forest of striped arches rises in Cordoba, one of the most original buildings ever raised for prayer.

Begun by Abd al Rahman I and expanded by his heirs, the mosque of Cordoba multiplied red and white horseshoe arches into a space travelers compared to a grove of palms. Its mihrab of gold mosaic was a gift of Byzantine craftsmen. The building still stands, a testament in stone to Andalusi splendor.