#MedinaAzahara + #EstoyConMedina = Long live the culture!

Here in Spain, social networks exploded on last July 4th. The reason, a little bit unusual? The inscription by the UNESCO of the caliphate city of Medina Azahara near Córdoba as World heritage. And during Soccer World Cup, please! Almost incredible, but true.
 
The city of Córdoba already benefited an inscription, since 1984. Beyond the famous mosque, it's all the historic heart which is protected, as a major witness of the period of the caliphate of Córdoba (929-1031). A golden age during which the city, due to its wealth, its palaces and its 300 mosques, was considered as a rival of Constantinople and Baghdad.
 
This time, the UNESCO takes us a little on the West of the city center, at the foot of the Royal monastery of San Jerónimo of Valparaíso. You should count 15 short minutes by car from the railway station. You arrive then at the vestiges of the caliphate city of Medina Azahara (“the bright city”), built in the middle of the 10th century by the Umayyad dynasty and sacking shortly after during the civil war which ended the caliphate in 1010. You will find more information clicking here.
 
This spotlight reminds how much Córdoba is worth by itself the journey in Andalusia. And if possible with time, to get lost in its quiet streets, to escape around to visit sites as Medina Azahara, and to take advantage of its magic atmosphere once night has fallen.
 
Córdoba is perfectly situated at the crossroads of Madrid, Seville, Grenada and Malaga. From the capital, you can join in only 1:40 am of train. This journey could be organized for May, so as to assist the competition of flowers in the patios and balconies. The show is worth seeing, with an explosion of colors which contrast with walls whitewashed of the traditional architecture. And by the end of the month, the city lives at the rate of the feria, with its horses, its flamenco and its bullfights. So, what are you waiting for to pack your suitcases?
 

Pictures © 2018 Junta de Andalucía