| Andalusia | cordoba | |||
Old City Walls & Jewish Quarter |
Walk along the old city walls – Cordoba was originally surrounded by 22 kilometers of city walls, a large area. Fortunately, there's a section of beautifully preserved old city walls for kids to explore, and along the way are statues of famous people from Cordoba. |
||||||
Start at Puerta de Almodovar, the medieval gate to the Jewish quarter. It's an impressive thick stone gate with crenellations on top. Right next to the gate (on the outside of the city walls) is a bronze statue of Seneca, the Roman philosopher. Turn left, and walk along the city walls, past water fountains and pools to the white statue of Averroes with a book on his knee. Averroes was not only a philosopher, he also wrote about medicine, astronomy and mathematics. Continue walking a little further, then turn left through the gateway, Puerta la Luna. Follow the black pedestrian walkway through the narrow passageways. When the walkway comes to a street, turn left on Calle de los Judios. Walk up the street, past the little plaza with a statue of Maimonides, the renowned Jewish philosopher. At the end of Calle de los Judios, you'll find yourself back at Puerta de Almodovar. | ||||||
Jewish quarter (La Juderia) – Walking down the narrow, winding streets with whitewashed houses, it's easy to imagine this thriving, lively neighborhood in the 10th century. | ||||||
Synagogue (Sinagoga) – Visit the synagogue built in 1315, and the only synagogue left in Andalusia after 1492. The small rectangular prayer room is covered with lovely floral designs and ribbon stars in the plaster and inscriptions in Hebrew on the walls. |
||||||
Casa Andalusi (Andalusian House) – Step into a typical house in Andalusia. An open courtyard is filled with flowering plants and a well. Tiled rooms are furnished with leather stools, benches inlaid with mother of pearl, and colorful rugs. One room has an interesting display of how paper was made by hand – in the 10th century, Cordoba had a thriving book publishing industry, paper making was essential. |