CÓRDOBA
Founded by the Romans on the banks of the Guadalquivir River in the southern province of Andalusía, Córdoba is a historical and architectural gem. The city’s greatest splendor came in the 8th century when it was the capital of the Moorish kingdom of Al-Andalus. A brilliant center of learning and knowledge, where Moslems, Jews and Christians lived peacefully together, it was the center of Western civilization. La Mezquita, the great mosque, is the jewel in Córdoba’s crown. More than a thousand years old and the third largest in the Islamic world, it endures as living proof of the glory that once was Córdoba.

Today Córdoba remains seductively beautiful, retaining its medieval feel in the old Jewish and Moorish quarters with their picturesque squares, splendid palaces, and crooked alleys. Its charm and sense of intimacy are present everywhere, an authentic Andalusían city, where you immediately feel at home—protected, warmly received, at ease.

The city occupies a central position in Andalucía with easy access to other major cultural centers in the region—Granada, Seville, and Cádiz. It has excellent connections to Madrid by means of the AVE, the high-speed rail line. A cosmopolitan city with a population of 300,000, Córdoba is manageable, an easy city in which to orient yourself. Slightly off the tourism trail, it is not overrun by American students. Rather than being dismissed as part of “the American student contingent,” you will have the opportunity to integrate into the society. The Cordobeses, whom you will come to know, are true southerners, exhibiting an exuberance and unpretentiousness that will make your stay special.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CÓRDOBA
The University of Córdoba is a modern institution, founded in 1972, with an enrollment of 20,000 students. Situated to the west of the heart of the city, it is a major research center in the region and has schools, or facultades, of Philosophy and Letters, Business, Economics, Science, Law, and Medicine among others. Because the University serves both degree-seeking Spaniards and study abroad students, you will be academically and socially integrated with students from throughout Europe.

 

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