Fire breaks out at Cordoba’s historic mosque-cathedral

A fire broke out at Cordoba’s historic mosque-cathedral on the night of 8 August but was swiftly extinguished, preventing damage to one of Spain’s most treasured architectural landmarks.

On the evening of 8 August, a fire ignited at Cordoba’s mosque-cathedral shortly after 9 p.m., but authorities quickly brought the blaze under control by 10:30 p.m., according to the National Police and the Cabildo, which manages the site.

Early reports suggest the fire may have started due to a short circuit in a floor-sweeping machine in the Chapel of Almanzor.

The incident endangered a key monument of Islamic and Andalusian architecture.

Eyewitness videos captured emergency crews working on rooftops to extinguish the flames.

The 16th-century cathedral, constructed atop the Great Mosque of Cordoba built in the 8th century by the city’s first emir, features a remarkable array of 850 granite and marble columns linked by distinctive red-and-white arches, a hallmark of Cordoba’s Caliphate architecture.

Copied