Mihrab, Mezquita de Córdoba/Great Mosque of Córdoba

Buy panoramic posters online of the Mezquita, Córdoba, at www.PanoramaSpain.com

Technical Details
Panorama composed of 35 scenes
Date: 29th July 2009, 12:30pm
Camera: Canon ESO 450D
Focal Length: 32mm
F-Stop: F5.6
Exposure (aperture priority) between 0.5 and 1 sec.
ISO: 400
White Balance: Cloudy (approx 6000K)
Software: PTGUI Pro for panorama stitching

Background

A mihrab is considered the most holy place of a mosque as it appears in the quibla wall i.e. the wall facing the direction of Mecca. The mihrab also amplifies the voice of the imam when leading the devotees into prayer.

The mihrab of the Great Mosque of Cordoba is often mentioned as a masterpiece of Moorish religious architecture. It is octagonal in shape and is covered by a small shell shaped marble dome, sustained by six polylobed arches and enframed by vegetable ornaments in mosaics on a golden background. Kufic letter inscriptions with quotations of the Koran decorate the arches and alfices (alfiz: rectangular frame surrounding a horse shoe arch). 

Apart from its extraordinary decoration, another curious fact is the orientation of the mosque in Córdoba, as its quibla wall faces south instead of in the direction of Mecca, which actually lies to the east-southeast of the Mezquita. The possible explanations are several; one theory is that the foundation of the mosque was built on old Roman and Visigoth constructions and therefore the architect had to compromise with the alignment of the building. Another theory is that the exiled Syrian Emir Abd ar-Rahman I, when constructing the Mosque in 784, orientated the mosque in the same way as the mosque of Damascus and not in the direction of Mecca.

The magnificent and unique architectural art we find when visiting the Mezquita and the mihrab today is the result of the enrichment made during the reforms of Al-Hakam II, about 200 years after its creation.
See also: Mezquita and Roman Bridge, Córdoba