The Great Mosque Of Cordoba

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The Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain

The oldest works of architecture in Spain of which rests are left go back to the megalithic culture, approximately 3000 b.C. Anyhow, they are probably not exactly what you expect to find here. Lots of Roman monuments are conserved too, among the most important being the great aqueduct of Segovia and the amphitheater of Mérida.
Absolutely stunning is what Moors have left in this country. The Great Mosque of Cordoba is one of the most visited sights by tourists, the other of course being Granada's Alhambra, which, is perfectly conserved, in its original condition. The Spanish Moors created a style of their own that differs in many aspects from their traditional architecture which you may find in Africa and introduced several novelties.This style is called Caliphal style. The Christians who lived in Muslim territory were called Mozarabes, and so is called their particular architectonical style which, combines Visigothic construction technics and caliphal style. After the country was reconquered from the Muslims, Moorish architects who stayed developed another new style combining their traditional architecture with Romanesque and Gothic elements, the Mudejar style.

While the Moors occupied most of Spain, there existed still Visigoth kingdoms in the country's north. There you can find important monuments of Visigoth and Romanesque styles, of the latter in particular along the "Camino de Santiago". In 12th century Gothic style was introduced in Spain, arriving to its greatest importance during 13th century when the cathedrals of Burgos, Toledo and Leon were built. Gothic in Spain combines frequently with Mudejar-elements. Plateresque style is the Spanish variation of Renaissance style. The word comes from "plata", silver, indicating that it is much richer in ornamentation than for instance Italian Renaissance style.
The finest surviving example of Spanish...