Declared a World Heritage Site by the Unesco, it is the most emblematic and symbolic building in Cordoba and one of the most outstanding in Andalusia. Construction began in the 8^th century and, with a surface area of 23 400 m2, it was once the second largest mosque in the world, after the Mecca. It is considered to be the most important example of Andalusi architecture, and the most emblematic of Spanish Umayyad art.