I used to think the urge to convert mosques into temples was an obsession peculiar to Hindutva types. But Córdoba, Spain makes it ok to have rapacious religionists in your cultural closet.
As I posted last, the mountain fortress of La Alhambra looks Spanish on the outside, Mughal on the inside. But the Mezquita cathedral in Córdoba is the reverse, a Moorish mosque converted into a cathedral.
The building is square rather than cross-shaped, and the central cupola is an octagon, Muslim-style. On the inside are rows upon rows of Moroccan double-arched pillars in red and white stripes, the pillars reminiscent of the cisterns in Istanbul. But the center has been retrofitted as a church: pews with representational gargoyle armrests, a giant altar centerpiece with classical religious art, a white dome with gold accents. The niches along the edges are now miniature chapels dedicated to individual saints. The original tile mosaic floor has been overlaid in marble. Atop the dome, a crescent no doubt made way for the cross.
Most interestingly, some Muslim-style art was left behind during the retrofit. I’d imagine it was the purely geometric parts which didn’t mention a competing deity, and of course the structurally necessary arches, even if scalloped Muslim-style. The Moors weren’t even the first to lay claim to the site. It was once a Roman site, and after the Romans came the Visigoths. Wikipedia speculates that the Visigoths may even have given AndalucÃa its name:
The Visigoths, following the custom of their Germanic predecessors, parcelled out the conquered territories by drawing lots, and the allotments… were called “Sortes Gothicae”… It is reasonable to suppose then that the corresponding Gothic designation “Landahlauts” (allotted, inherited, drawn land), in its phonetic form — “landalos” — became easily and spontaneously, to Arabic ears, “Al-Andalus”. [Link]
In an other part of the city, Córdoba’s tiny community of Spanish Jews had its own small synagogue, another fascinating mashup of artistic styles. The patterns are mainly European, but some are geometrical and Islamic. There’s Hebrew writing all around the edges. And on the wall of the main niche, where a Torah or menorah probably once stood, some long-ago interloper painted a cross. The synagogue sits in a souk directly behind the mosque/cathedral, just like Istanbul. The proximity is probably good for business.
I’d imagine the urge to convert religious sites stems from not only their salubrious locations on prime plots of land or some belief in their intrinsic holiness. Instead it’s a game of capture the flag. A church, temple, mosque or synagogue is a symbol of what the enemy respects. Toppling that structure is good, but replacing it with your own, even better
It’s analogous to wartime rape as a political weapon (the Pakistani military in East Bengal, the Japanese military during WWII, and so on): not only will the enemy’s women be defiled, but in areas without access to abortion, they’ll be forced to bear your children. These are some primal, tribal blood lusts, and they started long before Ayodhya.
More on this topic.
“A church, temple, mosque or synagogue is a symbol of what the enemy respects. Toppling that structure is good, but replacing it with your own, even better. ItÂ’s analogous to wartime rape as a political weapon (the Pakistani military in East Bengal, the Japanese military during WWII, and so on): not only will the enemyÂ’s women be defiled, but in areas without access to abortion, theyÂ’ll be forced to bear your children.
These are some primal, tribal blood lusts, and they started long before Ayodhya.”
indeed. divide et impera.
I am no fan of the current Hindutva brigade but atleast in India there is ample precedence.
But if this post tries to be balanced, we wouldn’t have any fun.
The centre of Eastern Christianity was Constantinople – until the Muslims invaded and turned the most beautiful cathedral in Christendom into a mosque.
This shit has been happening since the dawn of time.
For a little balance [and applying the “log in my eye .vs. mote in my brother’s eye” principle] I would add “The Indian military (IPKF) in Sri Lanka” before the “,and so on”.
ItÂ’s analogous to wartime rape as a political weapon (the Pakistani military in East Bengal, the Japanese military during WWII, and so on): not only will the enemyÂ’s women be defiled, but in areas without access to abortion, theyÂ’ll be forced to bear your children.
For an insight into the obsession of the Saffronists with the sexuality of Indian Muslim women, here is a very interesting piece by Martha Nussbaum.
You missed “re-” in front of convert.
Funny how some Muslim fundas say the same thing when someone becomes a convert, hoho!
When will you be going home Manish, so we can stop hearing about nice holidays while we’re freezing our collective asses off?
It was once a Roman site, and before the Romans came the Visigoths. Wikipedia speculates that the Visigoths may even have given AndalucÃa its name:
the romans were there before the visigoths. i believe andalusia is derived from the barbarian tribe the vandals, who were originally from southern sweden and sojourned in hispania before being driven across the straits of gibralter into north africa by the visigoths.
the sanctification of religious site x by religion z when it was once a place of worship for religion v is common. pope gregory the great made it part of explicit policy in early anglo-saxon england, as the local people would see less disruption in their religious behavior if a church replaced a temple at the same location.
Yes and its deliberate for people here area far to cautious with the words they chose.
The impulse to stamp one’s faith is not limited to territory and houses of worship, but dead people as well. In Malaysia, an Islamic court decreed that a member of the Hindu minority community would be buried according to Islamic rites, over the objections of his Hindu widow. Some of his fellow soldiers claimed that he converted in 2004. The government of Malaysia expressed its concern, but said it could not interfere in the matter, as the Islamic courts have the final say on settling religious matters.
Malaysian non-Muslims condemn state-ordered burial
The Turks converted the Byzantine church of Saint Sophia into a Mosque in Istanbul. The Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem was on the site of an earlier Roman temple until Helen – the mother (or was it wife?) of Empereror Constantine had a dream (revelation??) that it in fact marked the spot of Christ’s burial. And many mosques in India were built on earlier Hindu and Buddhist temples. The mosque church equation in Cordoba falls into the same trend. The churches of Mexico city are other examples.
As for the reported rapes of the IPFK in Sri Lanka – that’s a load of bull – like the alleged Hindu obessession with the sexuality of Muslim women. Gimme a break! Every male (or almost all 🙂 ) is obsessed with the sexuality of women.
Oh dear 🙁 I really don’t think your characterization of the documented rapes is appropriate — For those of us who had family/friends affected by the rapes, your comment is not only derogatory, it is damaging and hurtful.
Nice title, brought the song back to memory. Rapturous youngsters moving to the potent combination of drugs and trance by a band called ‘Faithless’, Godly indeed.
yeah in that case in particular a lot of ravan-ization was being done. The characterization of the opponent as a rapist(or some one with tendencies of sexual ‘pervertedness’) is not that uncommon tactic in the neighborhood. That is not to say that it doesnt happen but in plenty of cases its used to malign someone else. Yahya Khan may have had a thing for young girls and vodka, or indira gandhis may have had a thing for slim fairskinned young boys and scotch or they may have just tried that once with a legal age young partner for all we know. The intent was not to show how a person victimized another person or how there alcohol consumption lead to bad judgements…that kind of characterization was allways done by opponents to show the holier than thou attitude and should be taken with a bag of salt.
Thanks ‘far from perfect’, the link you provided showed at least 80 instances of temple desecrations – more strikinlgy the article is from a communist run magazine!
Interesting…..just a week ago, i’d reviewed a book from an unlikely author, and much of the book was based in Moorish Spain, especially Cordoba. The review is here
nux 2,
While I think CTL was too dismissive, the behavior of the IPKF in general cannot be compared to the behavior of the Pakistani army in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), as ashvin did.
Jeez you are clueless, aren’t you? I suggest you start reading the 18 volume criminal history of christianity, followed by the history of islam. The hindutva types will come out smelling like roses.
You seem to think that a historical essay is a soccer brawl. But thanks for alluding to the Crusades and the Mughal empire, which I’m sure nobody’s ever heard of.
F.C.H. w00t!
Early next week. Man, it’s cold everywhere I’ve been too.
Thanks for the timeline correction, Razib.
For the record: I agree that the latter appears to have been on a far larger scale than the former.
Nux 2
Give me neutral verifiable evidence of the so-called documented rapes. The IPFK’s human rights record was far better than the LTTE. Prove me wrong – I challenge you.
“But thanks for alluding to the Crusades and the Mughal empire, which I’m sure nobody’s ever heard of”
Who referred to the above? Not me. Both of those are an inconsequential drop in the ocean not even worth mentioning. Perhaps that’s why the Crusades do get mentioned all the time just so no-one will question the real history. Anyway, my previous comment was the first thing that popped into my head on reading your opening sentence. If one temple is an obesssion that to “peculiar” to hindutva types, then what do we say to 600,000 temples destroyed? Or 4 continents genocided of their pagan population? This is not about a brawl – just putting things in perspective.
Divya: I said is, not was. W.r.t. modern religious site takeovers in India, most I’ve read about recently are right-wing Hindus taking over mosques and churches. To continue to obsess over what happened in ancient history is to sound like a two-bit Muslim fundie pining for the reconquest of al-Andalus– from the 14th century.
“To continue to obsess over what happened in ancient history is to sound like a two-bit Muslim fundie pining for the reconquest of al-Andalus– from the 14th century.”
Manish, I am sure you don’t mean to recommend forgetting the injustice done to Native Americans here in the US or the aborigines in Australia.
“To continue to obsess over what happened in ancient history is to sound like a two-bit Muslim fundie pining for the reconquest of al-Andalus– from the 14th century.”
Manish – This is not just ancient history. This is contemporary – although there has been a direct, unbroken line of continuity from the inception of Christianity and Islam to the present day. “Engulf and Devour” has always been their motto even though they pass it off as being about love and peace. Both Christianity and Islam are hell-bent on taking over the world, have always been, and always will be. Their existence depends on their exclusivity claims. Hindu fundamentalism is a reaction to Islamic and Chistian aggression. Take away the original problem and you wont have the other. Anyway, I’m new here and will be watching you like a hawk from now on for factual and logical inaccuracies and bias.
The issue is as naipual had said about hubris. It was not a matter of regime change in the destruction of somnath to the babri masjid.
Who knows how my biases might be discovered if not for your vigilance. You’ve done it– you’ve saved Hinduism!
Although its a fasion and a ‘right’ hand rule for seculars to be anti-Hindu and prove their secularatva, it usually doesnt have any qualitative basis to it. For example it was the secular and not the Muslim oppposition to re-construct the temple in Ayodhya.