Córdoba (city, Spain)

A Roman-style bridge over the shallow Guadalquivir River that was once the main crossing over the river, securing Córdoba's importance to the region. The entrance to the bridge is marked by a triumphal arch and an adjacent single-column monument and it crosses to an old fortified gate (now a museum, described below) on the other side.

A history museum located in the Torre de la Calahorra, which once served as the old fortified gate to the city. Upon entering the museum the greeters (who speak good English) have you don a headset which will explain the exhibits and artifacts on Muslim Andalusia you will view as you walk from room to room. The narrators take a very philosophical take on the whole thing and their descriptions of Islam may come off as rather flowery, but the artifacts are worth a look and the balcony on the top of the tower offers an excellent view of the river and the city.

Built in the 8th century as a caliphate residence on the site of a Visigoth fortress, the Alcazar was used as the residence and fortress of Ferdinand and Isabella (the "Christian Monarchs" for whom the building is now named) as well as a headquarters for the Spanish Inquisition. The fortress, with its artifacts (including a series of Roman mosaics and a Roman sarcophagus) and two towers is now open for touring, but the main attraction here is the lush and beautiful gardens on the site.

A beautiful narrow street, full of flowers with a wonderful tiny square at the end and excellent views of the Mezquita's Tower framed by the buildings lining the street.

A small but beautifully preserved synagogue - one of only three remaining in Spain - the structure was built in 1315 and consists of a single small, square room with high ceilings and gorgeous Mudejar decorative plaster on the walls.

A museum of the culture and people of Sephardic (Iberian) Judaism housed in a 14th-century building. Rooms arranged around a courtyard contain different exhibits about the history of Judaism in the city: domestic life ; the role of important women in Jewish history and culture ; the Jewish festivals ; history of the Jewish quarter that once surrounded the Synagogue; Sephardic music and songs. Other rooms contain an exhibit devoted to the great Rabbinical thinker and writer Maimonides (born in Córdoba before his family moved to Egypt and then Palestine), the impact of the Inquisition on Jewish culture (forcing into exile or hiding those Jews who were not killed outright), and the survival of fragments of Jewish culture in Crypto-Judaism (secret practice of some Jewish rituals by descendants of Jews forcibly converted to Christianity). There is a small gift shop. A guided tour is highly recommended.

A marvelous Gothic-Mudéjar chapel from the 15th century, with beautiful tiles and vaulting. The chapel is maintained by Córdoba University.

A reconstructed Moorish water wheel, and the only one remaining in Spain.