Categories: urban landscape, urban continuity (added to list in: 1984; extended in 1994 to add Historic Centre to Mezquita

What UNESCO says: "Cordoba's period of greatest glory began in the 8th century after the Moorish conquest, when some 300 mosques and innumerable palaces and public buildings were built to rival the splendours of Constantinople, Damascus and Baghdad. In the 13th century, under Ferdinand III, the Saint, Cordoba's Great Mosque was turned into a cathedral and new defensive structures, particularly the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos and the Torre Fortaleza de la Calahorra, were erected."

What there is to see: the Mezquita, with its signature striped arches, and the Juderia has windy streets; look out for the beautiful patios http://www.andalucia.com/cities/cordoba/patios.htm, for which Cordoba is well known. The Alcazar has beautiful Moorish-style gardens, with large pools and fountains and stunning flowerbeds. Famous festivals in May.