Locally known as “Mezquita-Catedral”, The Great Mosque of Cordoba is a perfect example of early Islamic art. Originally, there was a temple that was dedicated to a Roman god Janus where the Mosque stands today. After being invaded by Visigoths in 572, the temple was converted to a church. The church was constructed on the “San Vicente” Basilic. The construction and architecture of the Mosque of Cordoba is the longest standing example of Islamic artwork and Cordoba’s Christian identity combination. This can be seen through the Hypostyle Hall, the dome, and the mihrab. When the basilic became property of Abd al-Rahman III, he and his son al-Hakam II worked to make the Mosque a focus of patronage. They did very costly renovations such as a new
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The Mosque was not just used as a temple, but it was also a public meeting place, school, and social center. The Hypostyle Hall has columns that are recycled from the ruins of classical local buildings as well as the church that it was built upon. Hypostyle is another word for “filled with many columns.” This holds to be true because the hall is filled with columns that are designed geometrically. It also contains a courtyard with a fountain in the middle as well as an orange grove. There is also a covered walkway as part of this piece. Unlike modern churches, the hall did not have any certain focal point to it. The columns actually had two-tiered arches that were horseshoe in shape on bottom, and more semi-circular on top. This gives the illusion that the weight of the ceiling is broken up more and creates the impression of endlessness. The horseshoe arch originated in Rome and spread to North Africa from Morocco and then to Egypt. The dome in the Mosque of Cordoba is an important focal point in this piece of architecture. Like the Hagia Sophia, the Mosque of Cordoba was a bold architectural move. The dome has crisscrossing ribbed pieces that make pointed arches that are all covered in a mosaic. This gave it a pattern, but also gave the dome strength. In this, there are inscriptions of verses from the Koran, as well. The way that the dome fans out seems to
The Mosque was not just used as a temple, but it was also a public meeting place, school, and social center. The Hypostyle Hall has columns that are recycled from the ruins of classical local buildings as well as the church that it was built upon. Hypostyle is another word for “filled with many columns.” This holds to be true because the hall is filled with columns that are designed geometrically. It also contains a courtyard with a fountain in the middle as well as an orange grove. There is also a covered walkway as part of this piece. Unlike modern churches, the hall did not have any certain focal point to it. The columns actually had two-tiered arches that were horseshoe in shape on bottom, and more semi-circular on top. This gives the illusion that the weight of the ceiling is broken up more and creates the impression of endlessness. The horseshoe arch originated in Rome and spread to North Africa from Morocco and then to Egypt. The dome in the Mosque of Cordoba is an important focal point in this piece of architecture. Like the Hagia Sophia, the Mosque of Cordoba was a bold architectural move. The dome has crisscrossing ribbed pieces that make pointed arches that are all covered in a mosaic. This gave it a pattern, but also gave the dome strength. In this, there are inscriptions of verses from the Koran, as well. The way that the dome fans out seems to