Antonio Gala, the best guide to Cordoba

Antonio Gala was born in Brazatortas, Ciudad Real, in 1930, where his father was practising as a doctor at that time, but while still a baby he moved to Cordoba as a result of a change imposed by his father's profession. He declares himself to be Andalusian from Cordoba. He underwent secondary education in Cordoba and studied Law and Philosophy and Arts in Seville. It was there that his affair with poetry began and it soon to spread to the other genres.

His childhood was overshadowed by the Spanish Civil War, which only was only made more bearable by the joyful atmosphere and the courtyard full of flowers at his home in Cordoba. During his childhood he suffered from the premature death of one of his brothers, Luis, who left a terrible mark of sadness and silence on allthe family, especially on his mother. Over the years this turned into aproblem of a lack of communication between mother and son, which isever-present in their relationship until the death of Doña AdoraciónVelasco in 1978, after a long and painful agony.

He moved freely between poetry and theatre with great success during most of his career. His "Poemas de amor" (Love Poems) sold 500,000 copies, making him the best sold living sold poet. In 1987 the author began to spend long periods away from Madrid, as he once again abandoned work in the theatre and he spent several months on his estate, La Baltasara, in Alhaurín el Grande, a few kilometres from Malaga. That same year she was named Honorary Citizen of Andalusia.

1990 saw his appearance in the world of the novel. His "El manuscrito carmesí" (The Crimson Manuscript) was awarded the Planeta Prize. This work became one of the first best-sellers in his career as a novelist during the last fifteen years, with works such as "La pasión turca" (Turkish Passion), "Más allá del jardín" (Beyond the garden), both made into films, and "El impossible olvido" (The Impossible Oversight).

Antonio Gala Foundation

"In the Convento del Corpus Christi, built and biologically extended in Cordoba, in the 17th century, wherefor centuries the most spiritual reflection and love were established, longing, desires, projects, tremors and light were instilled in theyoung creators who would take the fertile memory of their time there wherever they went in later life. Thus the motto of the house is a verse from "Cantar de los Cantares" (Song of Songs): Pone me ut signaculum super cor tuum”, explains Antonio Gala about his foundation, which each year convenes some twenty places for young creators between eighteen and twenty-five years old to study the Spanish language.

The artists spend a year in the headquarters of the foundation, where those who have been selected are a given a grant to spend one year devotingthemselves freely to their literary, music or plastic art projects.

The foundation does not have teachers, but the artists receive masterclasses and visits by established creators who guide and advise them.

"When I die, my ashes, together with those of the autumn lady, will serve to fertilise the gardens of my foundation. As for me, I will stay in Cordoba”, says Gala.

Icons of Cordoba

"Cordoba is a wonderful city that has been what no other has been”, Gala usually says emphatically when talking about his city A city plagued with icons like the Mosque-Cathedral or the Medina Azahara which Gala knows in detail and where he has acted as a guide for personalities visiting the city, like Queen Sofía. A Cordoba loved from a distance, which idealizes everything, from Madrid or from Alhaurín el Grande, where he spends long periods on his estate, La Baltasara.

"As a child I lived in the Calle Nueva. All of Cordoba passed through the Calle Nueva. The processions... Myfriends came to see the Parade of the Three Kings from my balcony. Myfather had his surgery on the ground floor, the adults lived on thefirst floor and us children lived on the second”, recalls the writer ofhis childhood Cordoba.

In that Modernist style stately house, as in many others in the Calle Nueva, the father of that withdrawnchild, whose eyes missed nothing, gathered together the cream ofsociety, who at that time were mostly Flamenco artists and bullfighters. "On Thursdays we always had lunch with some interesting character. Mymother did not attend - she was from Segovia and her customs wereCastilian-. He invited Flamenco singers, I met Mairena when I was seven. I remember one day it was Manolete, who wasn't going anywhere”, recalls Gala about his childhood, "the maestro who took me to the services at the Mosque so I could see it”.

Passion for the Mosque

"You know the the Great Mosque of Cordoba; to transform it into a Cathedral, with the authorisation of Emperor Charles V, its Islamic body was violated with a Catholic transept.

Since then it has been a Sultan with the thighs of an Emperor. That is why Ichose it as a symbol to speak to you today of Andalusian syncretism, the language and me.

Because if I had to choose the monument - from amongst so many which are both humble and marvellous- which has had most influence on me, I would without doubt choose the Great Mosque of Cordoba.

My life would have been very different had it not opened up and flourished in Cordoba, or if Cordoba had not kept its Mosque as a jewel box”.

This is how Gala speaks of his passion for the Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba, a World Heritage Site since 1984, one of the most important monuments in the Islamic West and one of the most astonishing in the world. Its history sums up the complete evolution of the Omeyan style in Spain, along with the Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of Christian architecture.

The site now occupied by the Mosque-Cathedral seems to have been used forthe worship of several different divinities since early times. The Visigoths built the Basilica of San Vicente here. After purchasing part of the site, the primitive mosque wassubsequently built in the same place. The basilica had a rectangularfloor plan and for a time was shared by Christians and Muslims. With the growth of the Muslim population, the basilica was acquired in itsentirety by Abderramán I and destroyed for the definitive constructionof the first Mezquita Alhama, or main city mosque. Today some elements from the Visigoth construction can be found incorporated into the first section built by Abderramán I.

The Great Mosque is separated into two areas, the courtyard or porticoed "sahn", home to the minaret (under the Renaissance tower), the only element added by Abd al- Rahman III, and the prayer room or "haram". This interior area has an array of dual-coloured columns and arcades that produce a stunning chromatic effect. The site is divided into five areas, corresponding to the different enlargements made to the mosque.

"I am in favour of the Mosque-Cathedral being used as a place of prayerfor the three great religions which were living proof of the high levelof coexistence and tolerance that was a feature of Cordoba. Today thesingle word that expresses for me the sense of the Mosque is the word"harmony"”, Gala reflects on the Mosque.

Monumental route

On leaving the old city by the south gate, you can visit the Roman Bridge which was built in the 1st century BC and which has been renovated anumber of times. The main structure dates from the Middle Ages, the most recent intervention being that of 1876. It is worth stopping in themiddle of the bridge to look downstream).

The Torre de Calahorra at the southern end of the bridge is a Moorish construction from the Almohad period which currently houses an Islamic museum.

The next important stop for the visitor is El Alcázar de los Reyes Cristianos, built by Alfonso XI in 1327. This fortress perched above a Moorish castle was the residence of the Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabella. The view from the fortress is impressive and especially memorable when observed at night. It encloses a good part of the architectural development of Cordoba. Roman and Visigoth remains live on in harmony with those of Moorish origin in this majestic site, which has been a favourite spot for different governors of the city.

If you prefer walking, then you should stroll through the medieval district of the old Jewish quarter, quite a maze of narrow streets, small squares and courtyards with countless bars, restaurants, cafés and shops. For hundreds of years the Jewish Quarter was the residence of the merchants and silversmiths who produced the jewels for which Cordoba is famous.

The Cordoba Synagogue, which dates back to 1315 and is a magnificent example of Mudéjar heritage. You will see large floral motifs and others located inside the building which really is a treasure for anyone who loves art.

The Casa Andalusí is in many ways a very special museum. It is a window showing thelifestyle of Al-Ándalus. Here you can see many pieces of art and devices dedicated completely to Moorish culture, such as coins, clothes andworks of art from the Moorish period. It houses the Museo del Papel (Paper Museum), a journey through the manufacturing process of this material during the Cordoba Caliphate. You can also see the press used by the Moors forprinting the Koran the during that time.

Cordoba has important museums such as: the Museum of Fine Arts, the famous, Museo Regina, displaying the works of famous Cordoba jewellers and the Museo Arqueológico y Etnológico representing the glorious history of this ancient town. We also highly recommend the Museo Julio Romero de Torres, a renowned local painter, who delighted in emphasising the beauty of the women of Cordoba in his paintings.