It was built by the emir Abd al-Rahman I on the ruins of the Gothic church of Saint Vincent. It has a total surface of 23,400 square meters. It is rectangular and follows the design of the primitive mosque of Al-Acqsa in Jerusalem and the Damasco´ s one, due to the use of horseshoe arches. It is supposed to be oriented to the south following the tradition of the mosques of the Omeya Dinasty in Syria.

The result was a mosque with 8 naves that are perpendicular to the wall of the quibla. These naves have twelve stretches that are leaned on 110 columns from different styles such as Roman, Paleochristian, Byzantine…, that support painted horseshoe arches and pillars. To solve the problem of the height and to get more lighting, two types of arches are superposed: the lower arches are horseshoe arches, acting like ties, and the upper arches are round arches that support the walls and the ceiling, creating an original complex of arches with white ashlar and red brick.

The mosque has a Minaret (tower), the Sahn (patio de los naranjos), and the Haram (Oratory that has the Cathedral, the Mihrab, and the wall of the quibla inside). It has the main nave in its centre which is wider than the rest of the naves and where you can see the Mihrab that was covered with mosaics given by the emperor of Bizancio in front of you.

The different enlargements that the mosque undergoes during this period permit analyze the evolution of the Cordobes art.

In 833 Abd al-Rahman II made the first enlargement pulling the wall of the quibla down to the South. Later the caliph Abd al Rahman III enlarged the courtyard to the North and built the minaret. In 961 Al- Hakam II added to 12 stretches, a mihrab decorated with marble and the octagonal dome of entwined arches of the quibla. And in 987, Almanzor made the third enlargement to the East. The blue marble columns with composed capitals and the red brown marble columns with Corinthian capitals come from this period.

The lower columns are a weak support, but they give more visibility. The pillar superposition gives more height. The shafts are made of marble and granite and some of them have vertical or in spiral grooves. A cincture has been sculpted in the shaft body. The capitals are composed, follow the Corinthian order and are made of white marble.

After the Christian conquest, in 1523, Hernán Ruíz el Viejo built the Renaissance cathedral. The construction took 234 years, so firstly, the Gothic style is used and then the Renaissance and Barroque styles are added. It has a Latin cross plan, a Plateresque decoration and a Renaissance dome. Inside of it, the main altarpiece, the chorus´ s set of chairs and the cathedral´ s treasure are important.