New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1884-01-30
The Great Mosque al Oordova

Inc lIreaG mosque was begun 1nSi0o
by Abdu-r-rah alma. who & determined TO
build the finest mosque iii the world;
but even his splendi id e ifice was greatly
enlarged in the tenth century. tere
was an era Of good feel ing between the
church and Islam is those DAYS. Be
fore this mosque was built, Christians
and Moslems amicably occupied differ
ent parts OF the same basilica, and
when the Caliph wanted to enlarge he
bought out the Christians. Leo, En.-
peror of Constantinople, sent one hun-
dred and forty precious antique columns
for the new build ling, and Greek artists
to decorate it; and when Cartioya was
conquered by the Christians, / believe
that for some time the two religions held
worship in this ediiice. It occupies the
whole Of a vast square. The exterior
walls, six feet in thickness, and from
thirty to sixty feet high, with buttress-
ed towers and richly carved portals TO
the different entrances, is the finest
specimen 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 parrot, 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 congregate. From this there
were nineteen doors all now walled
up except three opening directly 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 a
cheerful and beautiful interior it must
have been! And what a bewildering
sight it is yet! The roof is low, not
above thirty-fYe feet high, and orig
inally it was ali flat. The area is
about 1874 feet east and west, by $50
feet north and south, and it is literally
a forest of columns. OF the original
1,20O, 1896 still stand; the others were
removed to make room for the elab-
crate choir erected in the center, which
destroys the great sweep of pillars and
mnch Of the forest effect. tits fit to
make a body weep to see how the Chris
ians have abused this noble interior.
1t would have been more excusable if it
had been done BY early Christians, to
whom VIC pardon everything; but it
was not; i was done by late ana poor.
kind Of Christians. These columns, all
monoliths, and all made to appear of
uniform height by sinking the longer.
ones in the floor, were the spoils OF
heather temples in Europe, Asia, and
Africa. Many came from Mines and
sNarbonne, some from Seville and Tar
ragona, 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
polished, and many still retain their
lustre. They might, with a little labor,
10 made again to shine like gems.
from the carved capitals of these cola
nmns spring round Moorish arches,
tainted in red and white, which, seen
IN any diagonal view, interlace like
,bbons, and produce surprising and
arming effect
This mosque was called Zeca, the
house OF publication; it was equal in
rank to AL Aksa in Jerusalem, and its
sl.rine OF pilgrimage was second only
&c the Kaaaa at Mecca. Ii the traveller
chooses towalk seven times around the
lovely little chapel in the center, once
the holy Of hoies, he will tread in
well-worn path in the stone made by
tens Of thousands of Moslem pilgrim
fcet,A This chapel and the Mlhrab are
brilliant with mosaics, and fine carving
in stone, and stucco ornamentation. I
have heard some critics contrast the
loWnass OF this edifce with the spring
ing aspiration Of the Gothic catllelrals,
and say that it oppressed them; but it
is one Of the wonders fSthe world
Charles Dudley IVurQey, IN Nouenabe1..
atlantic.