Guardians of history in Córdoba, Spain have challenged the subtle change of name for Andalusia’s second most important tourist site.
The unique building had been billed as Córdoba’s Mosque-Cathedral, but in recent years the word mosque has gently slipped away on the monument’s website, leaflets and tickets.
Initially the area was where an 8th century church was built in the Visigoth period. It was transformed into a mosque when the Moors controlled the city. During this time, Córdoba rose to prominence as one of the world’s great cities because of its intellectual and cultural life.
After the reconquest in the 13th century, Christians built a cathedral in the centre of the mosque.
Over the centuries, it has been a place of worship for both Muslims and Christians.
Now the building is controlled by the Catholic diocese of Córdoba which appears to have been easing out the word mosque in its descriptions.
Córdoba’s city council prefers the term mosque-cathedral.
The region’s minister for tourism, Rafael Rodríguez, said: “It’s an essential tourist site for Andalusia, the second most important after the Alhambra. It seems absurd that they are not exploiting all the possibilities for tourism due to religious reasons.”
History watchdogs also spotted that Cathedral of Córdoba has replaced Mosque-Cathedral on Google Maps, but the old title reappeared two days later after Google was contacted.
A spokesman for the Mosque-Cathedral said the name was constantly evolving. “We have leaflets that say mosque-cathedral or the other way around. And some that just say cathedral. We’re not denying its history – it was a mosque and now it is a cathedral. Nobody is going to deny this.”
He noted that visitor numbers increased this year to almost 1.5 million people, a jump of 10%.
Comments
Of course, it was precisely in the eighth century that the Moslem Conquest took place (732). If it is a Visigothic structure, then it is older than eighth century.
Marvin Mills in his challenging study "The Origins of the Mosque of Córdoba" dispenses entirely with the word cathedral. He posits that the building was erected by incoming Phoenicians and native Tartessians sometime around the sixth century BC. Evidence adduced includes the non-Moslem orientation of the whole building and carbon dating of some of the beams used in the building.
What was its original purpose? Part warehouse and part temple.