{"id":75836,"date":"2023-10-20T08:47:18","date_gmt":"2023-10-20T06:47:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/visitanddo_1790.test\/?p=75836"},"modified":"2026-10-01T00:39:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-30T22:39:30","slug":"the-jewish-quarter-of-cordoba","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitanddo.com\/en\/the-jewish-quarter-of-cordoba\/","title":{"rendered":"What to see in the Jewish Quarter of C\u00f3rdoba"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The Jewish quarter of Cordoba<\/strong> is one of the best-preserved Jewish quarters in Spain, and you can explore the whole of it on foot and for free<\/strong> in just over an hour.<\/p>\n

What to see, where to go in, and the hidden gems you might miss on your first visit.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\ud83d\uddfa\ufe0f The route, in order<\/h2>\n

Start at the Almod\u00f3var Gate<\/strong> and ends at the Mosque. That way, the neighbourhood unfolds naturally and you don\u2019t end up going round in circles.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Almod\u00f3var Gate<\/strong> and the statue of Maimonides.<\/li>\n
  2. Jud\u00edos Street<\/strong>, the backbone of the neighbourhood.<\/li>\n
  3. The Synagogue.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. The House of Sefarad.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  5. The Municipal Souk.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  6. La Calleja del Pa\u00f1uelo.<\/strong><\/li>\n
  7. La Calleja de las Flores<\/strong>, with the tower in the background.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    An hour and a half<\/strong> a stroll, or half a day if you go inside the synagogue and the Casa de Sefarad. Almost everything is open to the public free of charge: only those two venues charge an admission fee.<\/p>\n\n

    Why is this neighbourhood here?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"The<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    The Jewish community settled next to the city wall and right next to the Aljama Mosque<\/strong>, and that explains the layout: a dense network of narrow streets with hardly any squares.<\/p>\n

    His heyday was the Caliphate<\/strong>, between the 10th and 12th centuries, when C\u00f3rdoba was one of the great cultural centres of the Mediterranean. Maimonides was born here<\/strong>, a doctor, philosopher and rabbi, in 1138<\/strong> \u2014although many sources still give the figure as 1,135\u2014.<\/p>\n

    It was all over in two strokes:<\/strong> the the raid of 1391<\/strong>, which decimated the community, and the the expulsion of 1492<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    And here\u2019s the interesting bit:<\/strong> the population disappeared, but the route remained unchanged<\/strong>. The same streets, the same ramparts, the same houses with their simple fa\u00e7ades and inner courtyards. That\u2019s the route we\u2019re taking today.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

    \ud83d\udeaa Enter via the Almod\u00f3var Gate<\/h2>\n

    It\u2019s the best ticket<\/strong>, and one of the few surviving gates in the city walls. Next to it is a a section of city wall with an elongated pond<\/strong> which is one of the nicest spots in the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

    A few metres away, in Tiberias Square, stands the statue of Maimonides.<\/strong> And there is a custom: he touches one of his feet<\/strong>, which is shiny and worn from rubbing.<\/p>\n

    A necessary clarification, as this is often misunderstood: the Door<\/strong> Almod\u00f3var\u2019s work is here, on the wall of the Jewish Quarter. The castle<\/strong> Almod\u00f3var del R\u00edo is 24 km from C\u00f3rdoba. Full details at Almod\u00f3var\u2019s Gate<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

    \ud83d\udd4d The Synagogue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \"Cordoba<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

    It is one of the three remaining medieval synagogues in Spain, and the only one in Andalusia.<\/strong> Dating from the early 14th century, on Calle Jud\u00edos, with access via a courtyard.<\/p>\n

    It\u2019s small, and the visit is short<\/strong>, but it\u2019s worth it for the interior: Mudejar plasterwork<\/strong> covering the walls with plant and geometric motifs, and inscriptions in Hebrew containing texts from the Psalms<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    Two things to look out for:<\/strong><\/p>\n