Cordoba, Spain
Mihrab arch and dome, Mosque–Cathedral of Córdoba, Spain — September 15, 2023
The famous horseshoe arched mihrab faces Mecca. The arch was common in the architecture of the Visigoths, the people that ruled this area after the Roman empire collapsed and before the Umayyads arrived. Above the mihrab, is an equally dazzling dome. It is built of crisscrossing ribs that create pointed arches all lavishly covered with gold mosaic in a radial pattern. Behind the arch is an unusually large space, the size of a small room.
