Guided Visit to the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba with Tickets

DETAILED 75-MINUTE ITINERARY WITH GUIDE AUTHORISED BY THE CABILDO

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   The guided visit to the Mezquita-Catedral de Córdoba begins at the Puerta del Perdón and proceeds through the interior of the monument following a route that allows you to read the building in stages. Entry is made with the group and the itinerary ends at the Puerta de Santa Catalina, after passing through the spaces that explain both the Islamic phase and the Christian transformation of the complex.

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   The start is situated in the Patio de los Naranjos, where the guide sets out the historical context from the Islamic arrival of 711, the independent emirate with Abd ar-Rahman I and the proclamation of the caliphate by Abd ar-Rahman III. From there you enter into the reading of the monument as a building that grew through extensions until reaching some 22,400 m².

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   Once inside, the tour begins with the foundational stage of Abd ar-Rahman I between 786 and 788. In this section the archaeological remains linked to the previous complex are explained, the reference to the earlier basilica, the orientation towards the qibla wall and elements such as the double arcade, the horseshoe arch, the upper semicircular arch and the bicolour play of voussoirs and brick.

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   Afterwards you move on to the extension by Abd ar-Rahman II, which marks the growth of the building to the south, and then enter the phase of Al-Hakam II, where a key part of the tour is concentrated. Here the domes are interpreted, the axis of the Mihrab, the maqsura area, the decoration with Byzantine tesserae and elements such as the Puerta del Tesoro and the sabat.

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   The visit also incorporates the Christian reading after 1236, to explain what changes in the temple following the conquest and how the cathedral is inserted within the former mosque. In this section you explore the Crucero, the Altar Mayor, the Sillería de Coro and the main chapels, together with references to the Retablo Mayor, the Custodia by Enrique de Arfe and the stonemasons' marks studied by Manuel Ocaña.

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   In the final part the extension by Almanzor is interpreted, visible in the growth to the east and in the differences in execution compared to earlier stages. The tour concludes inside the monument and the exit is made through the Puerta de Santa Catalina.