Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1883-11-17
rux GREAT MOSQUE At coRDovA.

The Great Mosque was begun in 7S6
by Abdu-r-rahma l., who determined to
build the finest mosque in the world
but even his splendid edifice was greatly
enlarged in the tenth century. There was
an era of good feeling between the church
and Islam in those days. Before this
MOSQUE was built, Christians and Moslems
amicably occupied different parts of the
same basilica, and when the Caliph wanted
to enlarge he bought out the Christians.
Leo, Emperor of Constantinople, sent l40
precious antique columns for the new build
ing, and Greek artists to decorate it; and
when Cordova was conquered By the Christ.
ians, l believe that for some time the two
religions held worship in this edifce. 1t
occupies the whole of vast square. The
exterior walls, six feet in thickness, and
from thirty to sixty feet high, with but
tressed towers and richly carved portals to
the different entrances, is the finest speci-
men of this sort of work existing. Nearly
third of the great square is occupied by
the open Court of Oranges, the abode, it
will be remembered, of Irving's wise par
rot, who knew more than the ordinary
doctor of law; still a delightful grove of
oranges, with great fountains, where the
pious and the idle like to congregste.
From this there were nineteen doors-all
now walled up except three-opening d.
rectly into the sacred mosque. With all
these openings, added to the entrances on
the other three sides, to admit freely light
and air, and to permit the light to play on
its polished columns, what cheerful and
beautiful interior it must have been And
what bewildering sight it is yet The
roof is low, not above thirty five feet high,
and originally it was all fiat. The area is
about 1874 feet east and west, by $50 feet
north and south, and it is literally forest
of columns. OF the original 200, l,096
still stand !; the others were removed to
make room for the elaborate choir erected
in the center, which destroys the great
sweep of pillars and much of the forest
effect. 1t is fit to make body weep to
see how the Christians have abused this
noble interior. 1t would have been more
excusable if it had been done by early
Christians, to whom we pardon everything;
but it was not it was done by late and
poor kind of Christians. These columns.
all monoliths, and all made to appear of
uniform hight by sinking the longer ones
in the floor, were the spoils OF heather
temples in Europe, Asia and Africa. Many
came from Mines and Narbonne, some
from Seville and Tarragona, numbers from
Constantinople, and a great quantity from
Carthage and other ancient cities of Africa.
They are all of choice and some of them
of rare marbles, jasper, porphyry, verdi
antique, and all were originally highly pol
ished, and many still retain their iuster.
They might, with a little labor, be made
again to shine like gems. From the carved
capitals of these columns spring round
Moorish arches, painted in red and white,
which, seen in any diagonal view, interlace
like ribbons. and produce surprising and
charming effect. This mosque was called
Zeca, the house of publication ; it was
equal in rank to Al Aksa in Jerusalem, and
its shrine OF pilgrimage was second only to
the Kaaba at Mecca. If the traveller
chooses to walk seven times around the
lovely little chapel in the center, once the
holy of holies, he will tread in well.
worn path in the stone made by thousands
Moslem pill grim feet. This chapel and the
Mihrab are brilliant with mosaics, and fine
carving in stone, and stucco ornamental
ton. | have heard some critics contrast
tie lowness of this edifice with the spring
ing aspiration of the Gothic cathedrals, and
say that it oppressed them but it is one
of the wonders of the world.-ICharles
Dudley Warner, in Atlantic.