of those countless columns, nor all the treasures of art lavished upon
it by the celebrated artists of the sixteenth century who erected it,
nor that interminable series of chapels of every epoch which, resting
against the walls of the Mosque, disfigure it; nor the clumsy angels
that seem to suspend their flight to shed glory over the divine service,
nor the words of the Evangelist sounding from the seat of the Holy
Spirit, can dispel or banish in the slightest degree the majesty of
those wandering shades, that in vain seek in the sanctuary the sacred
volume whose leaves, according to tradition, were enamelled with the
blood of the Khalif Othman, martyr to the faith. A world of souvenirs
here enthralls the mind of the traveller as he gazes with a feeling of
sorrow upon these profanations,--works dictated by the intolerant yet
sincere faith of our ancestors, impelled by the desire of banishing for
ever from that spot consecrated to the law of Jesus, the spirit of
Mohammed and the ghosts of his slaves that haunt it, and will for ever
haunt it while it exists. For, in spite of the mutilations it has
endured, and of the changes it has undergone, there is impressed upon
it, by a superior ineradicable law, the seal of the art that inspired
it, and the character of the people by whom it was planned and erected.’
Don Amados is not alone in his eloquent, if unavailing protest. When
Charles V., in 1526, visited Cordova, and observed St. Peter’s (the
Coro) rising out of the very centre of the Mosque, he rebuked the
Bishop, Alonso Manriquez, who had erected the incongruous edifice, in no
measured terms. When the king saw the extent of the mischief, he said:
‘You have built here what you or any one might have built elsewhere; but
you have spoilt what was unique in the world.’ Alas! the monarch had
forgotten, or did not choose to remember, that the declaration came with
a very bad grace from one who, for his never-completed palace at
Granada, had torn down whole Courts and Halls of the Alhambra.
Like most Moorish buildings, the exterior of the Great Mosque of Cordova
has a somewhat forbidding aspect, and rises before one much unlike a
house of prayer.
The vast interior of the Mosque may be likened to a petrified grove of
palm-trees, their stems strangely varied in colour, and in amazing
perspective to all points of the compass. Marble columns of every hue,
from pure white and translucent alabaster, through the intervening red,
the precious verde antique, jasper, porphyry, all shades, to the deepest
black; the variety only to be explained by the fact that the great
builders Abd-er-Rahman I., together with his son and successor, Hisham
I., procured their materials whenever and wherever they could ‘acquire’
them. Many of the columns being too tall, were ‘topped’ to supply a
deficiency in the length of another--a process eloquent of the pillage
of many a distant city.[1]
All historians agree that the great Mosque of Cordova owes its inception
to Abd-er-Rahman I., the first sovereign to reign independently over
Andalus. Directly the Sultan found himself comparatively free from his
turbulent rivals, and firmly established on the throne, he began the
building of his royal palace--that of the pleasure-house called
Rissafah, and of the great Mosque. The circumstances which led to the
erection of the Mosque are thus related:--
When a city surrendered to the Moors by capitulation, it was their
custom to divide with the Christians the principal temple of that city.
So, for instance, when Damascus was taken, the principal temple was
divided, half of it remaining in the hands of the inhabitants for their
form of worship, while the other half was appropriated to the use of the
Moslems, who forthwith converted their moiety into a Mosque.
According to this usage, when the Arabs entered Cordova they divided
with the Christians their principal place of worship, all other
churches, both within and without the city, being immediately pulled
down. The Moslems remained for a long time satisfied with this state of
affairs, until their number increased, and Cordova became a very
populous city, owing to the Arabian Amirs having taken up their abode in
it, and made it the seat of Government. The Mosque could then no longer
contain the worshippers, and roof after roof was added to accommodate
them, the roof of each successive addition being inferior in height to
the preceding structure, until the roof of the latest addition was so
low as to be but a few feet from the floor, preventing the people from
standing with any comfort under it.
Upon the consolidation of the Omeyyah dynasty, Abd-er-Rahman at once
turned his attention to the enlargement of the Mosque. He sent for the
chiefs of the Christian Church, and proposed to purchase from them that
part of the building which remained in their hands, in order that he
might utilise the space for the better observance of the religion of the
Prophet.
After much negotiation, the Christians agreed to relinquish their
moiety, on condition of being allowed to rebuild or repair a church
outside the walls, and of holding it independently of the Moslems. The
church of the Christians was consecrated wholly to the worship of their
God.[2] This being granted by Abd-er-Rahman, and the Christians having
received the sum agreed upon, the Sultan demolished the old place of
worship (A.D. 784-5), and laid upon its site the foundations of the
great Mosque, which became one of the wonders of the world.
The building was carried on with incredible activity during the whole of
his reign, for the Sultan begrudged no expenditure that could add to its
magnificence; yet it was not until nine years after the death of
Abd-er-Rahman that the Mosque was completed according to the original
plan. The design was accomplished by the Sultan Hisham I. in the years
794-5, and the Mosque received considerable improvements at the hands of
his successors; indeed, it can be safely said that none of the Sultans
of the illustrious family of Omeyyah who reigned in Cordova failed to
make some estimable addition, or contributed in some way to the
decoration of the sumptuous building. Hisham’s son, Abd-er-Rahman II.
(A.D. 822-852), ordered much ‘gilt work’ (_Zak-hrafah_) to be made, but
died before the work was carried out. Mohammed, his son and successor
(A.D. 852-886), continued the work begun by his father, and brought it
to a close. Mohammed’s son, Mundhir, in a short reign (A.D. 886-888), is
recorded as having made improvements in the building. The great Khalif,
An-nassir (Abd-er-Rahman III., A.D. 912-961), caused the old minaret to
be pulled down and a more magnificent one to be erected. Al-hakem
Al-mustanser-billah (Hakem II., A.D. 961-976) made important additions.
Seeing, on his accession, that Cordova was every day increasing in
extent, and the population rapidly growing, he directed his attention to
the enlargement of the Mosque, and completed the additional building
known by his name, by which the structure, already gorgeous, reached the
highest perfection, the work of his time being executed in a manner that
bewilders by its excellence.
Lastly, in the reign of his successor Hisham II. (A.D. 976-1009), and
under the administration of his famous _Hajib_ (Lord Chamberlain and
Prime Minister) Al-Mansur, or Almanzor, as he is more commonly called,
an addition was made which almost doubled the capacity of the building.
A vast number of houses were pulled down, the sites and the lands
belonging to them appropriated for the extension of the Mosque; the
addition falling nowise short, in respect of solidity, beauty of design,
and boldness of execution, of those of any of his predecessors, unless
we except the transcendent work of Hakem II.
The grace and purity of construction and decoration in Cordova reached
their zenith during the reign of Hakem II. He it was who built the
_maksurrah_[3] within the Mosque, a production that has been described
by contemporary writers as one of the most exquisite fabrics ever raised
by man. In the two jambs of the arch forming the entrance to the
_mih-rab_[4] were four columns of great value: two were made of green
marble, the other two of lapis-lazuli.[5]
Near the mih-rab there once stood a pulpit constructed by Hakem II.,
equalled by none other in the world for workmanship and materials. It
was built of ivory and the rarest woods, such as ebony, sandal, almond,
Indian plantain, citron, aloe, and so forth. This beautiful object was
to be seen in the Cathedral of Cordova as late as the middle of the
sixteenth century, when it was dismembered and its materials employed in
the construction of a Christian altar. It was known to the
Spaniards under the name of _carro de Almanzor_, the chariot of
Al-mansur--probably because it stood upon wheels.
Not only did the Khalif Hakem II. make many additions to the great
Mosque of Cordova, but improvements which greatly benefited the city. In
place of the old reservoir for purification in the Court of the Mosque,
he built four others at two sides of the Mosque, and these he filled by
means of a canal which, taking the water from the hills of Cordova,
poured it into an immense reservoir of marble which fed the four minor
cisterns. These marble receptacles for water may yet be seen in the
Mezquita of Cordova; the quarry whence they were extracted is likewise
indicated by the peasants at a few miles from the city. The water,
running constantly, after supplying the needs of the Mosque, was
distributed into three conduits parting from three sides of the Mosque,
East, North, and West, thus supplying the city and suburbs.
The actual dimensions of the Mosque are difficult to establish. An
excellent authority says that in length from North to South, the Mosque
measures six hundred and twenty feet, in width four hundred and forty
feet. Mr. Waring, in his _Notes of an Architect in Spain_ says the
Mosque is an oblong of three hundred and ninety-four feet by three
hundred and sixty feet. The famous Orange Court is in length two hundred
and twenty feet, and, being within the boundary walls of the Mosque, is
probably included in the first measurement given.
It is impossible to fix with any degree of certainty the number of
columns contained in the Mosque during the time of Mohammedan supremacy.
Ambrosio de Morales and the Infante Don Juan Manuel, both of whom
described the Mosque before the columns were reduced in number by the
unnecessary, not to say barbarous, alterations to which the building has
been subjected, estimate the figures at one thousand and twelve; but it
is only too certain that when the Mosque was converted into a Christian
Church very many columns were removed to make room for altars, chapels,
and the like.
No less than one hundred columns were comprised within the _maksurrah_,
which was further provided with three doors of exquisite workmanship,
one of which was covered with pure gold, as were the walls of the
_mih-rab_. The floor of the _maksurrah_, it is said, was paved with
silver, and that the pavements adjacent to it were covered with
_sofeysafa_, an obscure word which Don Pascual de Gayangos believes to
be a transposition of the Arabic word _foseyfasa_,[6] signifying enamel
work of exceptional brilliancy, laid down by Greek workmen whom
Abd-er-Rahman had brought to Cordova for the task.
The ceiling of the Mosque was formerly covered with oval cartouches
bearing appropriate monitory inscriptions and pious sentences, such as
‘Be not one of the negligent,’ ‘Felicity,’ ‘Blessing,’ ‘There is no God
but God, to whom all beings address themselves in their need,’ thus
inciting the minds of the faithful to contemplation and prayer. Some few
of the cartouches are still remaining, but the inscriptions were
carefully effaced at the time when the Mosque was transformed into a
Christian temple. Those in the _mih-rab_, and in the angles near the
tower, were spared.
The number of brazen chandeliers of different sizes in the Mosque is
computed at upwards of two hundred, and the number of cups attached and
containing oil, at upwards of seven thousand. Some of the oil-reservoirs
for the great lamps were Christian bells deprived of their clappers,
afterwards inverted, and suspended from the roof. It is known that in
the many expeditions against the Christian, bells were frequently
removed from their churches and brought to Cordova. Sometimes the metal
of the bells was recast into forms more in accordance with the Moorish
style of ornament.
APPENDIX II
CORDOVA
The most elegant description of Cordova is that contained in the epistle
of Ash-shakandi, a native of Shakandah, a town close to Cordova, on the
southern bank of the Guadalquivir. He calls Cordova ‘the repository of
science, the minaret of piety and devotion, the abode of magnificence,
superiority, and elegance: neither Baghdad nor Damascus can compete with
it. An idea of its worth can only be arrived at by comparing the city to
a beautiful bride of whose dower it should form part. Cordova may be
properly called the military camp of Andalus, the common _rendezvous_ of
those splendid armies which, with the help of Allah, defeated at every
encounter the worshippers of the Crucified. Its great Mosque, lighted
with bronze lamps made from Christian bells, had its foundations formed
of the materials of demolished churches brought to Cordova by Christian
captives.’
During the reigns of the monarchs of Gothic descent, Cordova cannot be
said to have been the capital of Andalus, for although it served as a
place of temporary residence for some of their kings, it was not,
properly speaking, the court of the empire. By the establishment of
Islam within it, its importance increased; the city became the capital
of the Mohammedan empire in Spain and the stronghold of the family of
Merwan,[7] the two important cities of Seville and Toledo quickly
acknowledging its pre-eminence.
Upon the coming of the Beni Omeyyah, its Sultans exalted Cordova above
any city of Andalus, by reason of its convenient situation and
delightful temperature. In course of time Cordova became, says
El-Makkari, ‘the meeting-place of the learned from all countries, and
owing to the power and splendour of the mighty dynasty that ruled over
it, it contained more excellences than any other city on the face of the
earth.’
There is a highly characteristic anecdote of the relative merits of
Cordova and Seville, the refined society of the one city being devoted
to literature, while that of the other was dedicated to music. ‘When a
rich man dies at Seville,’ says a native writer, ‘and his heirs desire
to sell his library, it is sent to Cordova for disposal; when, on the
other hand, a musician dies at Cordova and his instruments are to be
sold, the custom is to send them to Seville.’
A Mohammedan author of the twelfth century of our era, Al-hijárí, Abu
Mohammed, wrote a description of Cordova in a volume called _Al-mishab_,
‘The Chatterer,’ in which he describes the glories of the city.
‘Cordova,’ says he, ‘was, during the reign of the Beni-Merwan, the
cupola of Islam, the convocation of scholars, the court of the Sultans
of the family of Omeyyah, and the residence of the most illustrious
tribes of Yemen. Students from all parts of the world flocked thither at
all times to learn the sciences of which Cordova was the most noble
repository, and to derive knowledge from the mouths of the doctors and
_ulemas_ who swarmed in it. Cordova is to Andalus what the head is to
the body. Its river is one of the finest in the world, now gliding
slowly through level lawns, or winding softly across emerald fields
sprinkled with flowers, and serving it for robes; now flowing through
thickly planted groves, where the song of birds resounds perpetually in
the air, and now widening into a majestic stream to impart its waters to
the numerous wheels constructed on its banks, communicating fresh vigour
to the land.’
The extent of ancient Cordova has been differently stated, owing, no
doubt, to the rapid increase of its population and the expansion of the
buildings under the Sultans of the dynasty of Merwan on the one hand,
and on the other, to the calamities and disasters by which it was
afflicted under the last sovereigns of that house. Cordova is further
described by Mohammedan writers as a city which never ceased augmenting
in size, and increasing in importance from the time of its subjugation
by the Moslems until A.D. 1009-10, when, civil war breaking out within
it, the capital fell from its ancient splendour, gradually decaying and
losing its former magnificence until its final destruction A.D. 1236,
when it fell into the hands of the Christians.
[Illustration: PLATE 1.
VIEW OF THE CITY AND THE BRIDGE SOUTH OF THE GUADALQUIVIR.]
[Illustration: PLATE 2.
THE BRIDGE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 3.
VIEW OF MOSQUE AND BRIDGE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 4.
THE IRON MILL ON THE GUADALQUIVIR.]
[Illustration: PLATE 5.
PROMENADE OF “GRAND CAPITAINE.”]
[Illustration: PLATE 6.
MARKET STREET OR CALLE DE LA FERIA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 7.
PLAZA DEL TRIUNFO AND EXTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 8.
ENTRANCE GATE OF THE CITY, THE COLUMN OF TRIUMPH, AND THE MOSQUE FROM
THE BRIDGE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 9.
THE COLUMN OF TRIUMPH.]
[Illustration: PLATE 10.
ANCIENT ARAB TOWER, NOW THE CHURCH OF ST NICHOLAS DE LA VILLA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 11.
THE TOWER OF SAN NICOLAS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 12.
TOWER OF THE CATHEDRAL AND PATIO DE LOS NARANJOS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 13.
VIEW OF THE PATIO DE LOS NARANJOS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 14.
THE TOWER OF THE CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 15.
ENTRANCE TO THE CITY FROM THE BRIDGE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 16.
PUBLIC FOUNTAIN IN THE PATIO DE LOS NARANJOS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 17.
WOMEN AT THE SPRING.]
[Illustration: PLATE 18.
SPRING IN THE PATIO DE LOS NARANJOS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 19.
PEASANT WITH HIS DONKEY.]
[Illustration: PLATE 20.
A WATER-CARRIER.]
[Illustration: PLATE 21.
THE POOR MAN’S MEAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 22.
MULETEERS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 23.
A GARDENER.]
[Illustration: PLATE 24.
GIRL WITH A GUITAR.]
[Illustration: PLATE 25.
A ROOM IN THE PROVINCIAL MUSEUM.
VIEW OF THE ROMAN AND VISIGOTH SECTION.]
[Illustration: PLATE 26.
A ROOM IN THE PROVINCIAL MUSEUM.
VIEW OF THE ARAB SECTION.]
[Illustration: PLATE 27.
DOOR OF THE HOUSE OF THE INNOCENTS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 28.
THE DOOR OF DON JERÓNIMO PÁEZ.]
[Illustration: PLATE 29.
THE DOOR OF THE FOUNDLING HOSPITAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 30.
THE TOWER OF CARRAHOL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 31.
PORCH OF ST PAUL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 32.
ANCIENT ARAB WALLS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 33.
MOSAIC OF THE FOUR SEASONS, IN THE HOUSE OF S.S. LUQUE, PLAZA DE LA
COMPANIA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 34.
ARCHITECTURAL PARTS OF THE CATHOLIC BASILICAS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 35.
CAPITALS AND FRAGMENTS OF ORNAMENTATION IN THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 36.
ARCHITECTURAL PARTS OF THE CATHOLIC BASILICAS AND OTHER CONSTRUCTIONS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 37.
CAPITALS OF THE CATHOLIC BASILICAS PRESERVED IN THE MOSQUE, NOW THE
CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 38.
FRAGMENTS OF THE CATHOLIC BASILICAS PRESERVED IN THE MOSQUE, NOW THE
CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 39.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE CHOIR AND HIGH ALTAR.]
[Illustration: PLATE 40.
PULPIT AND STEPS OF THE HIGH ALTAR.]
[Illustration: PLATE 41.
CHOIR STALLS IN THE MOSQUE OR CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 42.
LEFT SIDE OF THE CHOIR STALLS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 43.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE CHOIR IN THE MOSQUE OR CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 44.
THE BISHOP’S STALL IN THE CHOIR OF THE MOSQUE OR CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 45.
CENTRAL NAVE IN THE CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 46.
CENTRAL NAVE IN THE CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 47.
CENTRAL NAVE IN THE CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 48.
PLAN OF THE MOSQUE IN THE TIME OF THE ARABS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 49.
II.
PLAN OF THE MOSQUE AT THE PRESENT TIME.]
[Illustration: PLATE 50.
THE BISHOP’S GATE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 51.
ENTRANCE TO THE MOSQUE, CALLED THE GATE OF CAMÓNIGOS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 52.
THE TOWER OF MALA MUERTE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 53.
THE CATHEDRAL. VIEW OF THE TRANSVERSE NAVE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 54.
NORTH ANGLE OF THE CHAPEL OF VILLAVICIOSA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 55.
THE CENTRAL NAVE OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 56.
THE GATE OF PARDON.]
[Illustration: PLATE 57.
THE GATE OF PARDON.]
[Illustration: PLATE 58.
THE GATE OF PARDON.]
[Illustration: PLATE 59.
THE GATE OF PARDON.]
[Illustration: PLATE 60.
KNOCKER ON THE GATE OF PARDON.]
[Illustration: PLATE 61.
PRINCIPAL NAVE AND MIHRAB OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 62.
ENTRANCE TO THE CHAPEL OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 63.
INTERIOR VIEW OF THE MOSQUE (FROM A DRAWING).]
[Illustration: PLATE 64.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 65.
INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 66.
INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 67.
INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 68.
INTERIOR OF THE CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 69.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE CHAPEL OF VILLAVICIOSA.]
[Illustration: PLATE 70.
INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 71.
INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 72.
LATERAL DOOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 73.
THE VILLAVICIOSA CHAPEL IN THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 74.
EXTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 75.
THE MOSQUE.
PORTAL ON THE NORTH SIDE, MOORISH STYLE, BUILT UNDER HAKEM III.,
988-1001.]
[Illustration: PLATE 76.
CHAPEL OF TRASTAMARA, SOUTH SIDE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 77.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE CHAPEL OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 78.
FAÇADE AND GATE OF ALMANZOR.]
[Illustration: PLATE 79.
THE MOSQUE.
ELEVATION OF THE GATE OF THE SANCTUARY OF THE KORAN.]
[Illustration: PLATE 80.
GATE CORRESPONDING TO THE BUILDING OF ALHAKEM II.]
[Illustration: PLATE 81.
PORTAL OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 82.
ARCADE OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE VESTIBULE OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 83.
ARAB TRIBUNAL (NOW THE VILLAVICIOSA CHAPEL), LEFT SIDE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 84.
RIGHT LATERAL PORTAL, WITHIN THE PRECINCT OF THE MAKSURRAH.]
[Illustration: PLATE 85.
DETAIL OF THE HALL OF CHOCOLATE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 86.
EXTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 87.
DETAIL. ARCHES OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 88.
DETAIL IN THE CHAPEL OF THE MAKSURRAH.]
[Illustration: PLATE 89.
MOSAIC DECORATION OF THE SANCTUARY.]
[Illustration: PLATE 90.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE INTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL OF THE MAKSURRAH AND ST
FERDINAND.]
[Illustration: PLATE 91.
DETAIL NEAR THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 92.
DETAIL OF THE INTERIOR OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 93.
VERTICAL SECTION OF THE DOME AND CUPOLA OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 94.
DETAIL OF THE TRASTAMARA CHAPEL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 95.
DETAIL OF THE HIGHER PART AND ROOF OF THE CHAPEL OF ST FERDINAND.]
[Illustration: PLATE 96.
SECTIONS OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 97.
SECTIONS OF THE MOSQUE AND CATHEDRAL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 98.
DETAIL IN THE CHAPEL OF TRASTAMARA, SOUTH SIDE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 99.
DETAIL IN THE ANGLE OF THE ARCH OF THE MIHRAB, LEFT SIDE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 100.
DETAIL IN THE ANGLE OF THE ARCH OF THE MIHRAB, RIGHT SIDE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 101.
DETAIL OF THE GATE OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 102.
KUFIC INSCRIPTION OF THE TIME OF THE KHALIFATE, FOUND IN AN
EXCAVATION.]
[Illustration: PLATE 103.
THE MOSQUE. KUFIC INSCRIPTION IN THE PALACE APPROPRIATED TO THE
PERFORMANCE OF ABLUTIONS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 104.
ARABIAN INSCRIPTIONS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 105.
ARABIAN INSCRIPTIONS.]
[Illustration: PLATE 106.
BASEMENT PANEL OF THE FAÇADE OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 107.
MARBLE SOCLE IN THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 108.
EXTERIOR OF THE CHAPEL OF SAN PEDRO, NORTH SIDE, IN THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 109.
A GATE ON ONE OF THE LATERAL SIDES.]
[Illustration: PLATE 110.
A KUFIC INSCRIPTION ON THE ADDITIONS MADE TO THE MOSQUE, BY ORDER OF THE
KHALIF AL-HAKEM.]
[Illustration: PLATE 111.
A KUFIC INSCRIPTION ON THE ADDITIONS MADE TO THE MOSQUE, BY ORDER OF THE
KHALIF AL-HAKEM.]
[Illustration: PLATE 112.
CAPITALS. ENTRANCE ARCH.]
[Illustration: PLATE 113.
DETAIL OF A FRIEZE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 114.
DETAIL OF A CORNICE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 115.
DETAIL OF A CORNICE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 116.
EASTERN SIDE OF THE EXTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE, AND DETAIL.]
[Illustration: PLATE 117.
PLAN OF THE ARCH AND CUPOLA OF THE MIHRAB.]
[Illustration: PLATE 118.
DETAIL OF THE PORTALS OF THE MAKSURRAH.]
[Illustration: PLATE 119.
SECTION AND DETAILS OF THE MIHRAB OF THE MOSQUE.]
[Illustration: PLATE 120.