Cordoba is a historic city in southern Spain, situated on the Guadalquivir River at the foot of the Sierra Morena mountain range. Its history goes back to ancient times, when a Celtyberean settlement was located here. About 200 B.C. was conquered and captured by the troops of the Roman general Claudius Marcelus and less than a century later became one of the most important colonies of the Roman Empire. After the fall of the Empire, from the mid-6th century AD the city was under the rule of Byzantium, and in the 8th century it was conquered and taken over by the Arabs. It was then that Cordoba became the capital of the independent emirate established by Abd ar-Rahman I. During this period, the city experienced a dynamic development. Many new buildings were erected at that time, incl. around 300 mosques, 300 public baths, as well as 50 hospitals and 20 schools. During the Middle Ages, Córdoba was called the city of three cultures. At that time, the city was inhabited not only by Muslims and Christians, but also by Jews. In the 13th century, during the Reconquista, Cordoba was taken over by the Christian King of Castile, Ferdinand III of Castile. Thanks to the Catholic Queen Isabella I, Cordoba was able to avoid being burnt down, as was the case with many Muslim cities during their displacement from Spain. In 1808, during the Napoleonic Wars, the city was captured by the French. Currently, Cordoba is an important industrial, scientific and tourist center of Spain.
Source: navtur.pl