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  Great    Mosque  of  Córdoba
Parts  in  a  mosque   There are three parts in the mosque: minaret, courtyard  and  prayer hall.
Minaret it was built by caliph Abderraman III in the 10th century. The remains are surrounded by the Christian belfry built in the 16th century. 10th century Now
Patio Although nowadays it is called Orange trees patio, it originally contained olive trees, cypresses, and fountains.
Chapel It was widened several times in the 8 th , 9 th  and 10 th centuries.
Abderraman  I  (8 th   Century) The mosque was built using materials from older buildings and superimposing arches like in the Roman aqueducts.
Abderraman  II  (9 th   Century) He enlarged the mosque due to the increase in population. He imitated Abderraman I, but he engraved some capitals with new materials and design. They are known as capitals with leaves.
Alhakén  II  (10 th   Century) The enlargement he made is the most ornamented. The columns alternate their colour and the capitals are called wasps’ nest. He built beautiful domes as well as the  mihrab,  decorated with fine mosaics.
Almanzor   (10 th   Century) He made the biggest enlargement of the mosque, but because of the proximity of the river on the south, he made it to the east, where we still can see the remains of the primitive doors.
ACTIVITIES
1)  Match the words in the two columns Match the people in A with the words related to them in B in the e construction of the Mosque of Córdoba. A   B   Almanzor   domes   Abderramán II   minaret   Alhakén II   enlargement to the east   Abaderramán III   capitals with leaves
2)  True/False Write T (true) or F (false) in the following statements: The Christian bell tower was built in the 20th century. In its origins, the Orange trees Patio contained olive trees and cypresses  Alhakén II made the richest and most beautiful enlargement. The Mosque was built between the 7th and 10th centuries The whole mosque was made with new materials.
3)  Fill in the gaps The great mosque of Córdoba was began by  _________   in the  __________ . After it was enlarged several times, the last and  biggest one was made by  ____________  in the  _________  century. The reason for these enlargements was the constant increase of  ____________   in  Córdoba at that time. The inner arches are superimposed like in the  _____________  aqueducts. Although in the beginning the materials used came from older buildings, in the 10th century some   ___________   were engraved with wasps’ nest capitals and the mirhab was decorated with beautiful  _____________ . After some centuries the primitive minaret was covered by the christian  ___________   . Roman  population  10th    mosaics courtyard   8th century  columns  Almanzor Abderramán I  belfry
4)  Define briefly the following words:   Mihrab Dome Aqueduct Column Capital.
THE  END Text, Photo Selection and Design:  Translation : Rafael Jiménez  María Dolores Galera