Patio de los Naranjos -- The Orange Garden

Let’s now visit the courtyard, called the Patio de los Naranjos (Orange Tree Garden). Mosque architects refer to it as the "sahn." Check the letter “A” area in the schematic below right. This was the original mosque interior and the garden below it (see the yellow square) was a perfect square until its expansion 200 years later. Early mosques such as Cordoba’s were patterned after the layout of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina. His compound had a square patio.

The original design of the mosque called for 11 aisles, each with a door opening upon the courtyard (and able to move huge crowds in and out quickly for the Friday service). Such open doors allow the worship to overflow into the courtyard if necessary. 

Riwaqs

Mosque architecture later evolved to add rooms around the courtyard periphery for use such as schools (madrasa) and for the social services often provided by larger mosques such as public kitchens and health clinics. Abd er-Rahman III added several of these porticoes (called "riwaqs") in 951 when he added the minaret.  Notice some of them on  the left sides of the top picture and a few pictures below.

In hot and dry cities, the Moors moved water into their public gardens to nourish the plant life and provide fountains. Today this spot is called the courtyard of the oranges -- after the trees the Christians planted in the 15th century. The Moors originally had palms and several of those have been added. Here we see the irrigation channels for the orange trees.

Ritual cleansing

Most mosque courtyards have a large fountain for ritual ablution (wudu) before prayer. Here we have a pond with baroque columns brandishing spigots. The original Moor system of water distribution for the whole city was centered here at the Mosque and was restored by the Christians after the Mosque started to deteriorate.

Arches without doors

The doors (above) which once allowed access into any of the eleven aisles of the original mosque were closed off when the Christians converted the hall to their cathedral in the 13th century. Note the short columns holding up these Mudejar arches. Short column lengths present architectural challenges which were surmounted with spectacular cleverness inside. The grillwork has an Arabic feel but was probably added by the Christians who need fewer doors into their worship space as their interior layout typically has 1 to 5 naves versus the 19 aisles of the mosque they captured in 1236.

Below is a view from the inside of these now-blocked portals:

Let's now explore the Arch of Blessings which will usher us into the Mosque's worship hall.  Please join us by clicking here.

Please join us in the following slide show to give Córdoba the viewing it deserves by clicking here.

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TIP: See the rest of our travel pictures by clicking here.

TIP: See these pictures as a slide show by clicking here.