Córdoba, << KAWR duh buh >> (pop. 322,071), is an ancient Moorish city in Spain, and the capital of Córdoba province. It lies 86 miles (138 kilometers) northeast of Seville. The term Moorish refers to Muslims of the western Mediterranean area.
Romans occupied Córdoba in 206 B.C. The city reached its peak of importance in the A.D. 900’s as a famous center of Moorish art and culture. The cathedral in Córdoba is the city’s chief landmark. It was built as a mosque (Muslim house of worship) in the 700’s and was made into a Roman Catholic cathedral in 1238. More than 1,000 pillars of granite, onyx, marble, and jasper support its arches.
Córdoba is the home of soft, fine-grained cordovan leather. Nearby farms produce cereals, grapes, olives, and vegetables. They also produce livestock—mostly cows, horses, and pigs.
