Solemn dignity in Spain

In Cordoba, Muslim, Christians and Jews coexist

Author: By Georgia Litwack, Globe Correspondent

Date: SUNDAY, September 21, 1997

Page: M4

Section: Travel

We tread on time-worn stones past rows of elegant columns to reach the Mihrab, the ``holy of holies'' where the prayer-leader had stood.

``Imagine 20,000 men in purest white, kneeling on their mats, facing Mecca, with the imam's chanting carried to the most distant corner.''

Eduardo gestures toward the soaring arches. ``Visualize it! Eight thousand hanging silver lamps, gold blazing from the ceiling, the Horan in an ivory pulpit encrusted with priceless gems.''

He traces the history of one of the world's finest Muslim edifices. Begun in 784, finished in 976, it became a Christian church in 1236 after the ``Reconquista,'' the Christian victory over the Moors.

We reach the mosque's center, to shift suddenly from a Muslim to a Christian place of worship. In 1525, Emperor Charles V ordered the insertion of a massive cathedral into the heart of La Mezquita. With regret, he later called a halt, but too late; the cathedral was virtually completed.

A mix of styles -- Hispano-Flemish arches, Renaissance dome, Baroque choir vault -- the cathedral continues to hold services. As we leave, three priests in black cassocks and scarlet hoods stride silently along the ancient paving.

We emerge into the brilliant sunshine of the mosque's Patio de las Naranjas, where orange blossoms perfume the air and giant plums sway in a gentle breeze. We set out on our walking tour -- many of Cordoba's principal sights are within easy distance of each other.

So vividly does Eduardo recount the past, we half expect a tall Moor to materialize before our eyes -- his intricately wound silk turban atop his handsome bearded face, his burnoose hanging from broad shoulders to the turned-up toes of his soft Cordovan leather shoes, a jewel-handled sword hung from a brocaded waist strap.

Eduardo's narration connects what we see with the city's glittering history as he ushers us along winding cobblestoned streets. We step back through the centuries to an era when Cordoba echoed to the call of the muzzein summoning the faithful to prayer, to the peal of Christian church bells, and to the trumpeting of the shofar proclaiming that most sacred of Jewish holidays, Yom Kippur.

This long gone amalgam of the three faiths -- what the poet Robinson Jeffers called ``the stone strength of the past'' -- is evoked today by the Mezquita, by the 14th-century synagogue, and by the Alcazar -- fortress of the Christian monarchs. Numerous medieval churches and monasteries, dozens of palaces, ruins, museums, and statues of its stellar figures (Seneca, Maimonides, the idolized metador Manolete) combine to weave a tapestry of what was once one of the wealthiest, most highly cultured cities in Europe -- the center of a vast Arab empire stretching as far as the Pyrenees.

``There is a solemn dignity about Cordoba,'' Havelock Ellis wrote. ``It is one of the most aristocratic of cities.''

Differing from bustling Madrid, scholarly Salamanca, courtly Seville, Granada of the fabled Alhambra, or pleasure-filled Costa del Sol, there is almost a languor to Cordoba.

Even the insistent beat of the flamenco with its clattering heels and clicking castanets does not disturb the serenity of its streets.

Provincial capital of Andalusia, seat of a bishopric, Cordoba stands on the north bank of the mighty Guadalquivir River, where farmlands of the north meet wheatlands and olive groves of the plains.

Today is it still one of the most fascinating cities in Spain, with its many ancient structures, including the diminutive (22 by 22 feet) synagogue with its beautiful arabesque panels; built in the Muslim/Christian ``Mudejar'' style, its decoration consists of biblical inscriptions.

It is a national monument, one of only three surviving medieval synagogues in Spain, the other two standing in Toledo. As part of Spain's reclaiming of its Jewish heritage, it is being restored and is sometimes closed to visitors. However, arrangements for viewing can be made with the Tourist Office.

Eduardo guides us through the preserved Jewish Quarter with its narrow streets, low whitewashed houses and Moorish courtyards redolent with fragrance, resplendent with color. In the tiny Plaza Tiberias rests a statue of Moses Maimonides, venerated rabbi, philosopher, and physician, born in Cordoba in 1135. Nearby is a statue of Seneca the Younger, orator, poet, philosopher, Stoic, born 4 BC in the city. A suicide by order of Nero, he wrote, ``Life if you know how to use it, is long enough.''

Cordoba overflows with its scintillating history. In 152 BC, it was a Roman settlement, next conquered by Visigoths in 573, who in turn were ousted in 711 by the Muslims -- mixed Arabs, Egyptians, Syrians, and Berbers who crossed from Morocco and initiated Spain's ``Golden Age.''

Scientists, poets, musicians, and scholars were brought to Cordoba by the Muslim rulers (the Moors), swelling the population to a million, rivaling Baghdad and Damascus. Royalty and the wealthy came from all over Europe to the city's physicians. Libraries, universities, and observatories flourished. Thousands of writers toiled so fast to fill the 20 public libraries, they wrote themselves out of parchment.

With the Christian ``Reconquest'' in 1236, Cordoba's glory waned. In 1492, the year Columbus sailed for the New World, the Dominican monk Torquemada persuaded Ferdinand and Isabella to expel Jews, Moors, and other non-Catholics from Spain.

The Inquisition had begun, ending centuries of open-mindedness when Muslim, Christian, and Jew had enriched one another culturally, with the polyglot Jews as intermediaries between Christian and Moor.

In recent times, Cordoba, with a population of 300,000, has returned to importance as a provincial capital. Its legendary tooled leatherwork and silver filigree together with prosperous industries on the outskirts have pushed it to commercial prominence.

Although, as Maugham reflected, ``the Moors stayed their time, their hour struck, and they were gone,'' Cordoba remains today one of the most Moorish of cities.

Best time to visit: spring and fall.

Events:

-- Carnival before Lent.

-- Holy Week, processions fill city.

-- Mid-May, ``Festival de los Patios,'' private courtyards open.

-- End of May, National flamenco competition.

hings to see:

-- Mezquita, one of world's greatest mosques.

-- Synagogue, under restoration, not always open. See Tourist Office.

-- Alcazar, palace with gardens, Roman mosaics.

-- Old Jewish Quarter, narrow cobbled streets, Moorish courtyards.

-- Statue of Maimonides, revered religious philosopher.

-- Bullfighting Museum, memorabilia, posters, costumes.

-- Diocesan Fine Arts Museum.

-- Roman Bridge rebuilt by Moors, 800-foot span, still in use.

Hotels: (early booking needed for Holy Week, Patio Festival).

-- Conquistador, elegant, pricey, Moorish.

-- Marisa, reasonable, old Andalusian house.

-- Parador La Arruzafa, state run.

Lodging: The Spanish Tourist Office publishes a hotel guide, rating the accommodations with one to five stars.

Dining: The city is known for its variety of colorful restaurants and exciting foods. Specialties: salmorejo; thick, garlicky gazpacho; rabo de toro (bull's tail stew); lamb with honey; pork in pepper sauce. El Caballo Rojo (Red Horse) is the winner of the National Gastronomy Prize.

Things to buy: Silver filigree, embossed leather.

Currency: peseta; its dollar equivalent varies.

Getting there: Iberia Airlines from JFK via Madrid; bus, train service from major cities.

Recommended reading: Standard guides plus (for flavor) Maugham, Michener, Theroux.

More information: Tourist Office of Spain, 655 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10022.

Cordoba Tourist Office, Plaza de Juda Levi 011-34-57.

Color abounds. Slender pillars of onyx, marble, jasper, and crystal-studded porphyry in blue and pink support interlacing arches or red-and-white marble. The cedar ceiling is delicately tinted. Mosaics glisten against gold.

The world's second-largest mosque, after Mecca, it was built in 784 on the foundations of a Visigoth church. It underwent expansion with each caliph until completion in 976. The ``Reconquista'' of 1236 turned it into a Christian church, ending its role as a center of Arab pilgrimage.

One's perspective shifts constantly as the seemingly endless forest of pillars marches along 19 aisles north-to-south, 29 east-to-west. In an ingenious stroke, its builders inserted a band of lead between column and capital to guard against demolition by earthquake.

Surrounded by a fortresslike wall, the mosque, courtyard, and minaret measure 60 by 430 feet. The minaret is now enveloped by a Renaissance bell tower.

One of four prayer niches, the exquisite Mihrab Nuevo, is a preeminent feature, marking the direction to Mecca. With remarkable acoustics, the room carries the imam's prayers to its farthest reaches. The Mihrab is an octagonal room with a dome made of a single block of marble, and panels baring ornate arabesques and inscriptions from the Koran.

A vast cathedral was inserted into the center in 1525 against the wishes of citizens and city council. Sixty-three columns were sacrificed, and the great expanse was blocked by altars.

Emperor Charles V had ordered but not overseen the construction. When he finally viewed it, he charged the clergy with ``destroying something unique to build something commonplace.''

Despite this alteration, the whole is overwhelming.