Historic Toledo

  This past Saturday I traveled to the historic city of Toledo, Spain. It is located about an hour South of Madrid by car. Although it is only a small city in terms of population it holds great historical importance as one of the oldest cities in Spain, the former capital city of Visigothic Spain, and an important city during the Muslim and Roman periods. Toledo is strategically situated on the Tagus River and looks over a large plain from its elevated position.

                          

We visited various synagogues, churches, and mosques in Toledo. Toledo has a rich history of religious diversity. Although all Jews and Muslims would eventually be expelled, their religions are still seen in the architecture of the city. Many churches are former mosques that were converted or built on top of the ruins of the old mosques. For example, the main cathedral is built on top of the former main mosque, which in turn was built on top of the Visigothic church, which was built on top of the Roman temple to Apollo. This shows the complex history of Toledo. Even when Christians reconquered the city from Muslims they copied some of the styles and designs from Islamic architecture and reflected it in their own buildings. This style is called Mudéjar. It includes elements such as brick construction, timber ceilings, fake or real Arabic letters, and intricate arches. This is also seen in synagogues.