A historical presentation to pupils secundary school. In a Eramus+ proyect.

1. HISTORICAL PRESENTATION OF
CORDOBA

2. THE ORIGINS
• The origins of the city of Córdoba can be traced back to
Protohistory. It was a nucleus of the Tartessian civilization,
followed by the Carthaginian one and, later on, by the Iberian
civilization.
•

3. ROMAN SPAIN (HISPANIA)
• With the Roman conquest a new city was drawn to the East. It
became the capital of the Hispania “citerior” and, later, after the
Roman provincial reorganization, of the rich province called
“Betica”.

4. ROMAN CÓRDOBA (CORDUBA)

5. VISIGOTHS AND BYZANTINES
• After the fall of the Roman Empire in the year 476 AD, it was
occupied by the Visigoths and the city declined. Later, the
Byzantine Empire snatched it from the Visigoths during the
expansion boosted by the Emperor Justinian. Although later it was
recovered for the Visigothic kingdom.
•

6. AL-ANDALUS (ISLAMIC SPAIN)
• In the VIII Century (711 AD - 92 H) it was conquered by the
muslins, who made Cordoba the capital of their emirate,
which they called "Al-Andalus".

7. EMIRATE
• In 756 AD (138 H) it was
conquered by the grandson of
the last Umayyad Caliph of
Damascus, Abederramán I, who
maintained it as capital.
• He started the works of
the Aljama Mosque.

8. CALIPHATE
• Almost two centuries later 929 AD (315 H) his descendant
Abderramán III proclaimed the Caliphate of Cordoba and ordered the
building of the city of Madinat al-Zahra. In the X Century the city
reached its greatest splendor and created its own artistic style.

9. SPLENDOR IN THE X CENTURY
• Musicians, poets, doctors… were born in this city or
came to study in it from all over the Muslim world
and even from the Christian Europe. Such was its
prestige.

10. • In those moments the city had more than half a
million inhabitants, according to archeological
evidences. And it was the second most important
city in Europe after Byzantium.

11. ROMAN CÓRDOBA ISLAMIC CÓRDOBA

12. CHRISTIAN CONQUEST
With the Christian conquest in 1236 AD (633 H)
it entered a long period of decline.

13. THE CATHOLIC KINGS
At the end of the XV Century, the Catholic Kings came to reside
here in order to prepare the conquest of the last Muslim state
on the peninsula: the kingdom of Granada, what they
achieved in 1492 AD (896 H). There had been more than eight
centuries of Muslim presence in Spain.

14. In that time Cristóbal Colón was also in Cordoba to
convince Queen Elisabeth the Catholic to finance
the travel which had as the result the discovery of a
new continent: America.

15. AMERICA AND THE RISE OF SEVILLE
• With this discovery the decline of Córdoba continued to the
advantage of Seville, to whose port the ships arrived, loaded
with gold and silver from the New World.

16. CONTEMPORARY CÓRDOBA
• In the XIX Century the Industrial Revolution brought the
railway. The walls of the city, which dated from Roman and
Hispano-Muslim or "Andalusian" age were demolished.

17. • In the following decades the Industrial
Revolution took little root, focusing mainly on
agricultural-food industries (oil, wine ...).

18. XX CENTURY
• In the mid-twentieth century the city received many
immigrants from towns in the province due to the "rural
exodus" and its population began to grow significantly.

19. • Currently it has about 325.000 inhabitants and
maintains the agricultural-food industry that is
fostered by the fertile surrounding lands.

20. • There is also a famous jewelry and leather industry
("cordobanes"), although the service sector and
especially the tourism sector is widely prevalent.

21. • The TOURISM is based on its rich and varied Historical Artistic Heritage:
Ancient Quarter, Roman Bridge, Aljama Mosque, Madinat al-Zahara,
Christian Fortress, Medieval Synagogue and other places of interest. Not in
vain it owes 4 World Heritage Declarations: Old Quarter, Mosque and
Madinat al-Zahra, besides the Fiesta de los Patios as Intangible Heritage of
Humanity. It is possibly the city with more awards of UNESCO in Spain.

22. FESTIVITIES
• The festivities include the May Crosses, the Patios
and the Fair, all of them during the month of May,
which is the festive month in Córdoba.

23. GASTRONOMY
• Among its varied gastronomy, there stand out
typical dishes such as salmorejo, flamenquín,
oxtail or aubergines with honey, besides its
wines “finos”.

24. Flamenquín Aubergines with honey

25. ILLUSTRIUS PERSONAGES
• Among his illustrious personages, in addition to those mentioned above,
there stand out the Hispanic-Romans Seneca (philosopher), Lucano (poet)
and the bishop Osio, the latter one already in the Early Christian age. And
in the Hispanic-Muslim period, Ziryab (musician), Averroes (philosopher
and doctor), as well as the Jew Maimonides.

26. Averroes (muslim ) Maimónides (jew)

27. In more modern times, there stand out the poet Góngora (XVII Century) and
the painter Julio Romero de Torres (XX Century).
Góngora Painting of J. Romero de Torres

28. CORDOBA AT PRESENT
• Cordoba is currently the main transportation hub by land in
Andalusia: there are highways and high-speed trains, which
connect it with Seville, Malaga, Cádiz and other Andalusian
capitals, and with Madrid and other important Spanish cities
such as Barcelona or Valencia.

29. • It is the third city of Andalusia in terms of
inhabitants, after Seville and Malaga, and the
14th in the national ranking of the more of 50
that Spain has.

30. CREDITS
*Text, image selection and editing: Rafael
Jiménez
*Translation: Alberto Rubio
*Photo- Map of the Old Quarter: José Manuel
Fuerte