CR.040 Cordoba Mezquita

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Creator

Denis Baly

Creation Year

1974

Image ID

CR.040

Alternate Identifier

B49.121

Subcollection

CR: Southeast Spain

Abstract

The most spectacular additions to the Mosque of Cordoba are considered to be those made by the caliph al-Hakam II (961-976), which included (on the central nave of the original mosque) what is now the Villaviciosa Chapel, and three more domes leading up to the brilliant mihrab (which can be seen in this image). In silhouette is a maqsura or screen which encloses the area of the mihrab.

Description

The Great Mosque of Cordoba is considered to be the one of the most remarkable monuments of Umayyad Spain and a masterpiece of medieval architecture. It was built in several phases, beginning with Abd al-Rahman I (784-86), and with perhaps the most significant additions by al-Hakam II. The present courtyard of the hypostyle mosque depicts the ‘forest of columns’ that this building is so famous for. One of the most important innovations was the use of double-tiered arches, which elegantly supported the roof and increased the height as well. Jerilynn Dodds has described the effect of this in equally powerful words: “…the columns that support the hypostyle hall explode into a labyrinthine elevation of superimposed horseshoe shaped arches composed of voussoirs in which deep red brick and white stone alternate. This carnivalesque solution converts a basic building type that is repetitious and by nature somewhat monotonous into a wild three-dimensional maze, a hall of mirrors in which the constant echo of arches and unruly staccato of colors confuse the viewer…” – SK

Image Notes

Photograph created May 1974. Photograph processed June 1974. Formerly catalogued as B49.121. Notes written on the slide or index: Cordoba, Mezquita, interior.

Curator Notes

This slide appears to have been placed in a new frame, and thus does not have a printed date. However given the written date and the fact that it appears to be an Ektachrome (compare with CR.36) we can safely guess that it was also processed in June 1974.

Image Format

Article

Geographic Reference

Córdoba, Spain