What happened in 1236?

Christian forces took Córdoba and made it a church

Mezquita of Córdoba Quiz: Arches, Mihrab and a Cathedral

This Mezquita of Córdoba quiz walks among the forest of columns in southern Spain's great monument. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on Abd al-Rahman I and 785, expansions over two centuries, about 850 columns, red and white double arches, the golden mihrab and its Byzantine mosaics, the 1236 conversion, the Renaissance cathedral inside and UNESCO status.

Start Mezquita of Córdoba Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which city is the Mezquita in?
Start
When was the great mosque begun?
Founder
Which ruler began it?
Columns
About how many columns fill the prayer hall?
Arches
What colors stripe the famous arches?
Shape
What shape are the lower arches?
Mihrab
What decorates the mihrab area?
1236
What happened in 1236?
Cathedral
What was built in the middle in the 1500s?
UNESCO
When was the Mezquita listed by UNESCO?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which city is the Mezquita in?
Answer: Córdoba
It is in Andalusia.
Q2: When was the great mosque begun?
Answer: 785
It was built on an older church site.
Q3: Which ruler began it?
Answer: Abd al-Rahman I
He founded the Emirate of Córdoba.
Q4: About how many columns fill the prayer hall?
Answer: About 850
Many were reused from older buildings.
Q5: What colors stripe the famous arches?
Answer: Red and white
They are double-tiered.
Q6: What shape are the lower arches?
Answer: Horseshoe
It is typical of Islamic Spain.
Q7: What decorates the mihrab area?
Answer: Gold Byzantine-style mosaics
Craftsmen came from Byzantium.
Q8: What happened in 1236?
Answer: Christian forces took Córdoba and made it a church
Ferdinand III captured the city.
Q9: What was built in the middle in the 1500s?
Answer: A Renaissance cathedral nave
It rises above the arches.
Q10: When was the Mezquita listed by UNESCO?
Answer: 1984
The historic center was added later.

A Forest of Arches With a Cathedral at Its Heart

The Mezquita of Córdoba in Andalusia was begun in 785 by Abd al-Rahman I, founder of the Emirate of Córdoba. Later rulers expanded it over two centuries until it became one of the largest mosques in the world, with about 850 columns, many reused from Roman and Visigothic buildings.

The columns support double-tiered arches striped in red brick and white stone, with horseshoe shapes below, creating a forest-like hall. The mihrab, added in the 900s, glows with gold mosaics made with help from Byzantine craftsmen, sent as a gift.

In 1236 Ferdinand III of Castile captured Córdoba, and the mosque became a church. In the 1500s a Renaissance cathedral nave was built in its center; Emperor Charles V is said to have regretted destroying something unique. The Mezquita became a UNESCO site in 1984.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

Who built the mosque
How it was expanded
What its arches look like
How it became a church
How it is protected

Did You Know?

The Patio de los Naranjos is a courtyard of orange trees.
Its bell tower was built around the old minaret.
Córdoba was once one of Europe's largest cities.
The Roman bridge crosses the Guadalquivir nearby.
Night tours use light and sound to tell its story.