Cordoba
Cordoba is the capital of the homonymous province in the community of Andalusia in the south of Spain. Despite of being an inland destination, Cordoba hotels are as good as those placed on the coastline. The city has a population of 325,000 inhabitants and is traversed by the famous Guadalquivir river that also runs through Seville.
Cordoba pictures
Cordoba disposes of an enormous cultural and historic heritage due to the civilizations which occupied the town in the last 3,000 years. Since its capture by the Muslims in 716, Cordoba became the capital during the Umayyad Caliphate, and in the 10th century - the period of its zenith - it might have been the largest city in Western Europe and possibly in the whole world with a supposed population of approximately 500,000 inhabitants. It was home to important scholars, poets, doctors, philosophers and mystics, like the Romans Seneca and Lucanus, the philosopher Averroes or the Jewish doctor Maimonides. Needless to say, Cordoba was one of the most advanced cities in the world, as well as a great cultural, political and economic centre until its recapture by King Ferdinand III during the Spanish Reconquista in 1236.
Nowadays, Cordoba is a rather quiet city and very popular with tourists thanks to the fact that it is loaded with history and interesting monuments. In 1994, the UNESCO acknowledged the historic centre of Cordoba as one of the international World Cultural Heritage Sites because of its universal importance for humanity. That’s why visitors should not miss out the most significant sights: the extraordinary Mosque Cathedral, the Castle of the Christian monarchs, the Synagogue, the Royal Stables, the Medina Azahara, the Roman Bridge, the Roman baths, the gates and city walls, the Archaeological Museum and the Al-Andalus Museum. The city centre can be walked across easily by foot and most of the monuments are located close to each other, which is why Cordoba is the perfect destination for a day trip.
Cordoba is 150 km north of Malaga, that’s why it is recommendable to take a shuttle bus from Malaga Airport to Cordoba because it can be a fast and economical alternative to other means of transport.