Close to the Mosque in Cordoba is situated an amazing monument which have watched the city as efficient guard in the river bank. Witness of some of the most important historical facts of the city…we are talking about our loved Alcazar of the Christians Monarchs.
We are not exaggerating when we say that it was determining for the development of the history, not only of Cordoba, but also the entire world. From Cordoba Tips Tour we want to give you some interesting details and curiosities:
1. The origins: the building was occupied by romans and visigoths on his early moments. After their rule, it was part of the palace of the Umayyad dynasty. This palace had a really big extension (until the Mosque practically). After the conquest by Ferdinand III (1236), was divided between the king and the church. Ferdinand transformed the Muslim palace into this current militar fortress.
Nowadays it´s famous because of its beautiful gardens.
2. The arrival of Columbus: on this building, the Catholic Monarchs received Cristobal Columbus for the first time in 1486, during the war against the last Muslim kingdom of the Iberian Peninsula, the Kingdom of Granada. That´s because the Alcazar was used since the age of Ferdinand III for resting (as a royal palace) but also for planning wars.
According to the tradition, the encounter was inside the Homage Tower, and there is a statue that represents this event inside the gardens.
3. The queen which was born in Cordoba: following with the history of the Catholic Monarchs, a daughter of them was born during the war inside the fortress. She was the princess Maria, who got merry with Manuel I, king of Portugal.
4. The young Caesar: when Julius Caesar started his political career, he was in Hispania during 65 b. C poet from the I century a. C, Martial, wrote that Caesar planted a banana tree during his stay in Cordoba. Nowadays there is an inscription with the poem written by Martial in the side of the gardens that tells us about this fact decorated with a mosaic and a fountain.
5. Room of the mosaics: one of the highlight of the fortress is a room that includes several roman mosaics from the III a. C whose draws are based on the roman myths. One of them represents the story about Polyphemus and Galatea, What a coincidence! The cordobesian poet Luis de Gongora would write poems about this classical myth without knowing that the mosaic of Polyphemus and Galatea was earthed in his own city.
6. We require more archers! : we really recommend you to visit the Alcazar and have a walk over the walls of the fortress as true guards. You even can raise to the top part of the Tower of the Lions, where you can enjoy of a privileged views of the Royal Stables.
The Spanish Inquisition, the baths of Alphons XI, Abenchara the Canary queen…there are a lot interesting stories to be told regarding the Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs of Cordoba.
You are invited to participate in our Monumental Tour (reservation is necessary, but you can find us each day in Almodovar´s Gate at 13:30. And also, for the Jewish Quarter Tour at 17:00 in the same meeting point).
And of course, do not forget to reserve our visit indoor of the Alcazar with an official guide, you can do it from our website!
See you soon! Greetings from the yellow umbrellas!
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Desde 2017, Córdoba Tips Tours es la empresa líder de las visitas guiadas en la ciudad, miles de clientes han disfrutado de nuestras rutas, la gran mayoría de ellos repiten en nuestros diferentes tours guiados por la ciudad. Esto nos ha llevado a convertirnos en una empresa referente en la ciudad y la popularidad de nuestro trabajo nos ha llevado a la excelencia en Córdoba.
