Cordoba

Cordoba: history & character

Cordoba, founded by the Romans in the 2nd century BCE, was in the 10th century the largest city in Europe — capital of the Umayyad Caliphate of Al-Andalus, with around 500,000 inhabitants, 700 mosques, 600 hammams, and one of the world's largest libraries. This threefold heritage — Roman, Moorish, then Christian — shapes the modern city: the UNESCO-listed Mezquita-Catedral, the Roman Bridge across the Guadalquivir, the medieval Judería with its white-washed alleys, and the Andalusian patio tradition (festival in May). Today a city of 325,000, Cordoba is the essential stop on any Andalusian high-speed-rail itinerary — 45 minutes by AVE from Seville, 1h45 from Madrid. For dog owners, Cordoba is delightfully walkable from October to May (compact historic centre, dog-friendly terraces, two municipal Áreas de Esparcimiento Canino) but punishing in July–August: temperatures regularly exceed 40 °C and pavement reaches 60 °C.