Al-Hakam II: Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba (Spain)
Enlargement of al-Hakam II
The growing of the muslim population of the capital in the X Century obliged the second Caliph, al–Hakam II (961-976) to begin a new enlargement of the 
Mosque; this was one of the most original and the richest. The scenery of the new past wasn’t comparable to any others; secondly the work run by the builder gave to the Mosque a wonderful decorative effect with a new way of building thirdly, there was a respect towards the previous building, fourth, the presence in our city a wide range of crafts from byzantine expert in patchwork or mosaic; this was a clear reflect the good relationship between Córdoba and Costantinopolis; finally the quality in design and the carved got in Medina Azahara.
The enlargement was performed between 961-965 and the Caliph run the direction of the works to his Prime Minister (hayib) in that moment, Yafar Ibn Abdal-Rahman. 
On the Mihrab are written the name of the authors. This enlargement consisted in a prolongation of the eleven naves of the Mosque towards the south, adding 12 more parts and the double wall of the Qibla. The enlarged space was like a Mosque into another Mosque. The previous Qibla was substituted by powerful polilobated horseshoe arch, that are used as external façade and shows to the visitor a new zone.
In the central nave, the arch of the entrance a leads to a vaults space of squared plant, with its skylight function and believers noticed a space full of political authority; the Maqsura. This space was separated from the rest of the complex by a carved wooden fence and closed by a gold and silver door with ebony jambs. The skylight was closed by three “screens” of crossed polylobate archs, conserving only two of these: those of southern and eastern (the others disappeared
for building the Main Chapel of the Cathedral in the XV Century).
The archs are disposed above a double order of columns of different models: the upper part support three horseshoe archs and the below one with three lobated, which are the ones with function upon the keystone is put a decoration with lobated shape, this is crossed as an arch simulation.
The roof is a vault with eight nerves that crossing themselves makea squared void; around others triangular and rectangular. 
This hollows are decorated with little vaults hollow silver.
The light passes through a crown of beads with lobated archs with are open in the wall among these nerves.
This structure is repeated in the most perfect way in the three skylights that are in front of the Mihrab, being the central one the most wonderful. The most remarkable are beautiful mosaic piece with glass; they are covered with gold or with brilliant coloration alterned with the marble ones.
The façade of the Mihrad its socle is made with
carved marble with ataurique decoration. The central arch stands on jambs, among which are integrated the columns of the Mihrab of Abad al-Rahman II: it is framed by an “alfiz”, whose spandrel the are decorated with vegetation. A wainscot, which is alike to a second alfiz, has Allah inscriptions, carried out with a mosaic on the blue base.
A serie of polilobated blind archs ends the complex. Inside the room constitutes the Mihrab and it is the most sacred part of the Mosque because, over there, the sacred book of the muslim exposed.
It has a plant with eight sides. The wall has a socle with marble boards, on it a carved wainscot, decorated with five blind
polylobated archs and ended / framed with sentences of The Koran. The roof is with carved gypsum and its chapel rassembles to a shell.
The structure of the pray room is very similar to that of the Mihrab. The central nave is richly decorated. The columns have been rigorously chosen they are alterned with red and blue marble and they are ended with fleshy leaf capitals alterning the corynth and complex order. The ceilings are made with carved wooden posts in the Maqsura and they are
the richest of the Mosque. Its restoration was run by Ricardo Velázquez Bosco in the second half of the XIXth century.
Finally, three more doors were opened in the east part, developing the Door of the Viziers, though the were changed during the centuries. The three doors were.
The central one called “Palace Door” it’s a gothic one; the “Espiritu Santo” one (The Saint Spirit) and that called Saint Ildephonsus. All of them were restored by archaeologist Ricardo Velázquez Bosco. By those of the occidental side, the ancient rests of the wall can be found. This wall was integrated into the Almanzor’s enlargement.
Text: Jesús Pijuán.
Traslated by Sara Moretti