Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba

Abd al-Rahman I began it in 785, and his successors enlarged it three times over two centuries, reaching some 850 columns with double arches of red and white voussoirs. Al-Hakam II's extension left the jewel of the building: the mihrab, with golden mosaics by craftsmen sent from Byzantium.

After the Christian conquest it was consecrated as a cathedral, and in 1523 a Renaissance transept with a carved mahogany choir began to rise in the middle. The bell tower was built around the old minaret and can be climbed.