You know when you find yourself sitting in those gen ed requirement classes and as the teacher rambles on and on all you can think about is when am I ever going to use this? First semester sophomore year, a bunch of my friends and I decided to take an Islamic Art and Architecture class solely to fulfill a bunch of credits. And while it was at times a little interesting, all I cared about was that I came out of the class with an A. Little did I know, in a few months I was going to be seeing those endless powerpoint slides in real life.
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| Cordoba |
On Saturday the intermediate group took a day trip to Cordoba, which is only about an hour outside of Sevilla. Once thought to be the most populous city in Europe, Cordoba is now home to one of the most spectacular examples of Islamic architecture with Catholic additions. The Great Mosque of Cordoba was built during the late 700's (a date I can barely wrap my head around) when the area was under Islamic rule. Many additions were made to the Mosque throughout the Islamic reign. However, when Ferdinand conquered Cordoba, the Catholic church took over and the mosque was turned into a Cathedral. The entire structure of the Mezquita-Catedral (mosque-cathedral) is original, with no reconstructions and it is without a doubt breathtaking. The sheer massiveness is unreal, and the detail is unbelievable. One of my favorite things about Cordoba is the juxtaposition of the ornate islamic architecture directly beside the elegant catholic additions. It is simply stunning.
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| Poly-lobed arches of the mosque |
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| Mihrab - area of prayer |
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| Cathedral with mosque in the background |
On Sunday, we ventured on a longer overnight trip to Granada, a city nestled at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains and the location of the third most visited monument in the world, The Alhambra. The Alhambra was the palace city of the Nasrids built during the 13th century. The Alhambra included the palace, a citadel, and fortress. It is situated higher in order to be separated from the "general life" of Granada, since it was home to royalty. The Alhambra is massive, and the detail both inside and out is astonishing. For example, Muqarnas is the type of ceiling in one area of the palace, something we learned all about in Art 154. How people created it by hand is beyond me
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| Muqarnas |
While I could go on and on about the Alhambra, Granada has so much more to offer. The city itself is small, yet unbelievably beautiful. The graffiti in areas is not vandalism but elaborate artwork. The streets are narrow cobblestone, most meant only for pedestrians. We were able to go to an outlook and see the entire city at night-breathtaking. There are also numerous shops, restaurants, and an amazing nightlife that includes a plethora of free tapas. Granada is home to The University of Granada so many students live in the area giving it an interesting dynamic. We also visited the Cathedral which was incredible and the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, along with their daughter Joanna and her husband Phillipe. Granada is also known to have some of the best Helado (Gelado/Ice cream) in Spain and of course we treated ourselves to this twice while we were there.
I wish there was some way I could express the beauty and charm possessed by both Cordoba and Granada, but unfortunately my descriptions and pictures are inept. Granada, especially, was another love at first sight situation. I certainly want to return and explore even more the city. I have definitely added it to the list of potential places to move one day. It was also an amazing experience to see for myself something I had studied for an entire semester. Who knew the places Glaire lectured about in a class that seemed so irrelevant would prove to be some of the most amazing places I have ever been in my life. I guess I understand her love for the subject now. And while I desperately wish I could share everything I saw and enjoyed in both Cordoba and Granada, tomorrow's my first day of classes so I guess I should try and get some sleep. 8:15 is going to come really early. I look forward to sharing my first experiences as a student in Spain with you guys!
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