CORDOVA, one of the four divisions of the province of Andalusia, in Spain. It is now in all public documents usually called the kingdom of Cordova. It is bounded on the north side by Castile, on the west by Estremadura, on the south by Seville, and on the east by Murcia. The superficial extent is 724 square miles, and in 1804 the number of inhabitants was 252,028.

The principal river which runs through it is the Guadalquivir, by which it is divided into two parts; to the north of that stream it is called the Sierra, and to the south the Campina. The Sierra is an elongation of the Sierra Morena, which proceeds from the most southern part of La Mancha, and abounds with pastures, fine woods, hives of bees, sheep, goats, and animals of the chase. The Campina is distinguished by the excellence of its soil, and the abundance of grapes and olives which it yields, by which a part of Castile is supplied with some wine and much oil. In both divisions of Cordova there are several mines of various metals. ∙

Agricultural industry is, however, in general much neglected; so that, with a soil highly favourable for its growth, the province does not yield wheat sufficient for its own consumption. This neglect of cultivation arises in a great degree from the larger portions of land being held in máyo-razo, a species of entail of a very strict nature. The occupiers of land are in general very deficient in capital, and not likely, under the system of letting it for short terms, and collecting the rent in produce, to accumulate much more. A general scarcity of water is experienced during many months, and there is no sum expended in the business of irrigation at all adequate to the want of it that is experienced. The manufacturing industry of this province has gradually declined ever since the expulsion of the Moors. It is now reduced to some looms of silk for various descriptions of taffetas, ribbons, and other goods. Hats are made here, and there are manufactories of soap, leather, and silversmiths’ goods.

Cordova, a city of Andalusia, the capital of the kingdom of that name, and long the metropolis of the empire of the Moors in Spain. It is situated in a most delightful spot, being on the southern declivity of the Sierra Morena, which protects it from the cold winds of the north and the east; and it is also on the right bank of the Guadalquivir, whose waters are used for irrigating the rich plain that surrounds it. The most striking remains of the Moorish magnificence are now visible in the enormous cathedral which .was formerly the principal Mahommedan mosque. This edifice was finished by the Moors about the year 800, and was then nearly a Square building, being 420 by 510 feet. The roof was not high, being but thirty-five feet from the floor. It was supported by numerous marble columns, according to some descriptions amounting to 1000, according to others to 780, which formed nineteen aisles from east to west, and twenty-nine from north to south, according to the description of that accurate and minute antiquarian Morales. There were gates covered with bronze, embossed in a most curious and expensive manner. Four thousand seven hundred lamps were lighted in this mosque every night, and the oil used in them was mixed with the wood of aloes, with ambergris, and other expensive perfumes. The Arabian monarch of the race Ommiades, who reigned in this capital, and who possessed enormous revenues, seems to have most profusely lavished them in the decorations of Cordova. At the death of Abdelrahman, this city is said to have contained within its walls two hundred thousand houses, six hundred mosques, nine hundred baths, and numerous public libraries; whilst on the bank of the Guadalquivir, under the power of that monarch, there were eight cities, three hundred towns, and twelve thousand populous villages. The twelve caliphs, his successors, gradually declined in power, and with it the wealth and population of the country decreased, till the period when the seat of the Moorish government was transferred in 1013 to the ' city of Granada.
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The mosque, now become a Christian church, is diminished in size, by having a part which served the Mahommedans for the ablutions which their ritual prescribed, converted into a kind of garden, which is planted with orange trees and cypresses, and has three beautiful fountains. This garden, and the portico supported by pillars, is five hundred and ten feet in length. The lowness of the roof forms a striking contrast with the lofty arches which support the roofs of the other cathedrals in Spain, whether of Gothic or of more recent erection. The originality of the style of the building is destroyed by the addition of a modern lofty tower, and the building being surrounded with houses, the beauty is hid; so that it now rather exhibits the extravagant expenditure, than the taste, of the period in which it was erected. It is, however, the most curious monument of the extraordinary race who for seven centuries ruled in Spain, and exhibited during that period a degree of knowledge, civilization, and taste, which had no equal among the Christian nations of Europe.

Before the Moors entered Spain, Cordova was a city of considerable importance. Under the Roman government it was well known by the name of Corduba, and was strongly fortified. The remains of the Roman walls are still to be seen, in the same imperishable state as when that people abandoned them.

At present Cordova does not contain more than thirty thousand inhabitants, who depend in some degree on manufactures, but much more on agriculture. The country around it is highly diversified; and the hills forming the lower range of the Sierra Morena send forth abundance of limpid streams. These hills are covered with pines and evergreen oaks; whilst the valleys are covered with olive trees or cultivated corn-fields. The farm-houses are built within inclosures, and surrounded with orchards of orange and pomegranate trees. The cultivators are, however, generally in indigent circumstances, and pay the rent by a proportion of the produce. On the more gentle risings there are vineyards, from which some indifferent wine is produced; but many of them are used for producing vinegar, and some for making brandy.

The principal buildings of the city are the bishop’s palace and the holy office, both of which, though ņot elegant, are very extensive. An orphan-house is more modern, and built in a better style, and is adorned with a cupola that displays considerable architectural taste. A bridge of sixteen arches across the Guadalquivir, built by the Moors, and well preserved, is the only access to the southern part of the province; and it is defended by a tower which, when the Moors constructed it, must have been a sufficient defence, but it is now of no other use than as a toll-house. This province is famous for its breed of horses; and the royal stables, as well as the army, draw their best supplies from the vicinity of this city.