Cordoba: Important Capital for Millennia, now recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Site
For seven centuries, Cordoba was the capital of the Muslim caliphate, and the largest and most important city in all of the region if not the entire world. Today, it charms visitors with picturesque streets, lined with white washed walls, wrought iron window bars and balconies, and flowering plants decorating balconies and hanging over. Its mosque’s white and red horseshoe archways will stun viewers in person and be familiar to them from a thousand photographs.
A City on a River
 The city has about 300,000 people. It’s located on the banks of the great Guadalquivir River, where some of the most famous sites in the world line its shores, including an Islamic water wheel that looks like a wooden version of a Ferris wheel that rolled away from some ancient fairground.
This is the same river that passes through Seville, to Sanlucar de Barrameda into the Gulf of Cadiz. It’s the longest river in Andalucia and is the only navigable river upon which many Spanish explorers and conquistadors made their way.
A City of Historic Importance
Cordoba is so important to history that UNESCO has made the entire city into a World Heritage site. In this site, Visigoths and Romans reigned until the 8th century, when the Muslims took it over and made it the place from which they ruled much of the known world.
 Here King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella also made one of their primary residences and even made the city infamous by turning it into one of the headquarters of the Inquisition.
Incredible shops, one of the great Andalucian alcazars, cathedrals, mosques, picture-perfect streets and cuisine from all over the world will greet you in this city.
You’ll walk the same streets as the Roman philosopher Seneca, and enjoy the tapas culture and Andalucian cuisine in some startling locations in some of this city’s historic sections. This is a “hot” destination for many reasons - history, culture, beauty, shopping and weather are just some.
Cordoba Weather and Climate
The weather is overall rather pleasant in Cordoba, but summers are especially hot. Summers easily reach a scorching 40º C (104º Fahrenheit) in late July and August, so be prepared to wear sunscreen and light clothing.
The heat is part of the reason why traditionally the midday was time for a siesta, and the last meal of the day comes around 22:00. You may want to consider adjusting your hours in a similar way, sleeping in the heat of the day and going out during the late afternoon and enjoying the late nights with the locals and fellow tourists. If you do, a lively barhopping scene and tapas culture await, so you’re sure to enjoy yourself thoroughly.
|
