Historic Centre of Cordoba

Under the Umayyads, Córdoba grew into a rival of Constantinople, Damascus and Baghdad — from the 8th century some 300 mosques and countless palaces adorned the city, with the Great Mosque, the Mezquita, as its wonder. After Ferdinand III took the city in the 13th century, a cathedral rose within the mosque's forest of columns and new fortifications followed, including the Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos. The historic centre holds UNESCO World Heritage status first granted to the Mezquita in 1984.