A fire broke out on Friday evening at the renowned Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba in southern Spain, a UNESCO World Heritage site, but was brought under control in less than two hours.
“Tonight, a fire started in a chapel of the mosque-cathedral, in the Almanzor area. The protocol established in the Self-Protection Plan was immediately activated,” according to a post on the mosque-cathedral’s official social media account.
Videos shared on social media depicted orange flames and smoke billowing from the monument’s high walls, notably above the San José gate - on the mosque’s southern side - which provides access from the street, and the famous Orange Tree Courtyard.
According to several Spanish media outlets, a “sweeping” machine is believed to have sparked the fire when it ignited around 9:00 p.m. However, by 10.30 p.m. firefighters reported that the fire was “under control.”
The Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba is an architectural gem constructed by the Umayyad emirs and caliphs between the 8th and 10th centuries.
Its construction began in the 8th century during the Emirate of Abd al-Rahman I on the site of a Christian basilica. It was subsequently expanded in several phases over the next four centuries.
After the Christian Reconquest in 1236, it was consecrated as a cathedral, with Catholic architectural elements added, including a large central chapel in the 16th century.
The building hosted over 2 million visitors in 2024, according to its website.
