The Alcazar of Cordoba was a pleasant surprise. Truth be told, l didn’t even know they had one. I thought the one in Seville was it in the Andalusia region, excluding the Alhambra in Granada of course. I found the Seville Alcazar so impressive, l didn’t think this one would measure up. Duh! I had […]The post Historic Alcazar of Cordoba, Spain and Podcast appeared first on Nextbiteoflife .
The Alcazar of Cordoba was a pleasant surprise. Truth be told, l didn’t even know they had one. I thought the one in Seville was it in the Andalusia region, excluding the Alhambra in Granada of course. I found the Seville Alcazar so impressive, l didn’t think this one would measure up. Duh! I had forgotten what an important Roman city Cordoba had been. Rude awakening for me as we wandered the historic fortress that was the royal residence of past monarchs.
Alcazar of Cordoba is officially known as the Alcazar de los Reyes de Cristianos (Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs). This was one of the official residences of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. I think l walked about 3 miles just inside the rooms that we were allowed in. It wasn’t because the place was huge, but because l was hoping that at least once, Isabella or Ferdinand might have stood in the very same space that l walked on! As far back as the 1400’s! Mind blowing isn’t it? ;-) .
In a previous post, l had told you how the exiled Abd ar-Rahman had fled to Cordoba. He used the Alcazar as his palace. Once the Christians conquered Cordoba, they took over the fortress and turned it into the structure that it is today. I had jokingly mentioned how, in my mind, the seats in the cathedral reminded me of the interrogations, it was jarring to discover that the Alcazar of Cordoba, practically next door to La Mezquita, was actually the site of the Spanish Inquisition. It was also where they planned the invasion of Granada ;-) .
Inquisition Tower at the Cordoba Alcazar:
The headquarters of the Inquisition was the Alcazar, and it was from here that Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand plotted the downfall of their enemies. A lot of the grounds were turned into torture chambers and prison cells. Upon entry to the fortress, you go left to visit the rooms with discovered relics. There is the Hall of Mosaics with amazingly well-preserved mosaics that l would still love to put in my home today. There is also a 3rd century Roman Sarcophagus in great shape. Looking out from the balconies, you see ruins of parts of the castle. Later on, l read that they used to be part of the Arabic Baths, but they were later demolished and turned into more torture chambers during the Inquisition. What a waste! We did miss seeing the salvaged part of the baths below, thinking they were no longer in existence.
We climbed up to the tower. I only went halfway as the stairs were kind of steep and it was a tight space. I was enjoying the view, and Federico went up to the top. A few minutes later, he is yelling down to me and motioning for me to come up. I refused at first, but he wouldn’t give up, so l reluctantly climbed up. I didn’t like the climb at all, the stairs were steeper, it was even narrower, there was no railing to hang on to, and lots of pigeon poop, but l maneuvered it sideways and boy..was it worth it. The view is stupendous from the top. If you make visit, and are able to climb up, do it. You won’t be sorry.
The most beautiful part of the fortress has to be the gardens. Immense space, with lots of fruit trees. Huge expansive ponds with loads of fish. Benches to seat and take in the scenery. It was my favorite part by far. Looking back from the gardens towards the tower we went up, it is quite easy to forget how much horror went on up above. How many people slaughtered and tortured while having to watch the beauty below?. Afterwards, reading up on the history of the Alcazar of Cordoba, it hits me that the very same open space we were looking down from, was where they used to hang the people, yeah..and those scratches and writings on the walls we were wondering about? The prisoners. Insane! The whole point of the Inquisition to me, was to take the riches of the non-catholic people in Spain (Jewish, Protestants,