MEZUITA CORDOBA the middle of the mosque.

This structure
Mosque - 786AD seems to disturb the long vistas which ex-
tended through the hypostyle and creates
Cathedral - 16th Century an awkward juxtaposition between the
verticality of the Roman Catholic Cathe-
dral and the more humble sprawl of the
The Mosque of Cordoba is believed Moorish Mosque.
to have been designed by a Syrian architect in
786AD. Its hypostyle plan consists of a large rect-
angular prayer hall with an enclosed courtyard.
The columns support double arches which span
perpendicularly to one another. The vivid red and
white voussoirs create an extremely powerful
image. Although the mosque was expanded to
the south numerous times the striking column
and arch composition was continued, even into
the courtyard where the rows of trees extend
the grid beyond the prayer hall.
The Maqsura, the prayer space of the
ruler, is the most lavish room of the mosque with
carved marble and elaborate mozaics. It is seper-
ated from the rest of the mosque by screens.
After King Ferdinand III conquered Séamus Bairéad
Cordoba a large cathedral was constructed in Anne Barrington