Karl SmallmanTHE city of Cordoba isn’t the most exciting city in Andalucia, but I recently concluded that it has the most fascinating history.
I spent last Saturday wandering around the part of the city within the old walls near La Mezquita.
Behind these walls are cobblestone streets too narrow for cars – sometimes barely wide enough for two people to walk through shoulder to shoulder. There are huge, wooden doors that are centuries old. My favorite discovery of the day, however, was the archeological museum.
Built on, in and around ancient ruins, this museum showcases pieces of history from around the province. The cool part is that every piece is from Cordoba province – coins that had been buried and forgotten, statues, vessels, and handmade jewelry from the past two millennia. It’s a pretty small museum with a small entrance fee, but it’s worth the maze of streets to get there.
The best part of the museum is the lower level. They have excavated ruins of an ancient Roman theater and built the museum around it. Staircases and metal walkways allow visitors to see the stones at eye level within arms’ reach – imagining the Romans who were in that exact spot more than a thousand years ago.
This just doesn’t exist in the United States. There isn’t physical, tangible proof of ancient civilization like there is here.
Cordoba is a pedestrian-friendly city with cheap eats and some amazing history.
I will definitely be going back to explore more soon.
