Preview
Creation Year
1974
Image ID
CR.049
Alternate Identifier
B49.130
Subcollection
CR: Southeast Spain
Abstract
A close-up shot of the central arch and door of the Puerta de San Juan, another one of the entrances on the mosque’s east facade consisting of a horse-shoe arch framed by an alfiz. The extensive use of floral patterns for decoration is manifested here, quite similar to the Puerta del Baptisterio (see CR.048).
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 March 1974. Photograph processed June 1974. Formerly catalogued as B49.130. Notes written on the slide or index: Cordoba, Mezquita, gateways and walls.
Image Format
Article
Geographic Reference
Córdoba, Spain
Keywords
Roman, Umayyad, Eighth Century AD, Christian, Sixteenth Century, Reconstructed, Mosque, Cathedral, Stone, Stone Carving, Masonry, Door, Arches, Relief Patterns, Horseshoe Arches
Rights Statement
