Description of the attraction
The Great Mosque is a complex of buildings that includes buildings from different eras in the life of the city. The first mosque on this site was built at the end of the 8th century. In the 10th century, a mihrab (prayer niche) and a mansur (a fenced-in place for the caliph) were added to the mosque. In the 16th century, the mosque was consecrated and the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary was erected inside it.
The 14th-century Puerta del Pedron (Gate of Absolution) leads into a courtyard planted with orange trees and a bathing fountain in the center. The entire interior of the mosque seems to be filled with a forest of columns - there are about 900 of them. Most of the columns were brought from destroyed Roman or Visigothic buildings from all over Spain. There are pomegranate, jasper and marble columns.
The building of the Baroque Cathedral inside the mosque was designed by the architect Hernan Ruiz. The choir of the cathedral is fitted with elaborately carved seats by Pedro Duque Cornejo.
The bell tower, 93 meters high, was built on the site of the minaret.
