When people think of the cultural and intellectual centre of Europe, they often think of Paris. But, in the Middle Ages, the greatest city of Europe was in fact in Cordoba, which was an Arab city in Spain.
In fact, most Arab scholars considered Europe to be a dirty and unimportant place. They thought Cordoba was a much more cultured city.
At around the tenth century, Paris had a population of about 40,000, whereas about half a million people lived in Cordoba.
A typical library in European cities would contain a few hundred books, but the libraries of Cordoba contained over 400,000 works.
Cordoba was a very tolerant city, where Christians, Muslims, and Jews all lived together. It also, had some of the greatest architecture in Europe. Cordoba was famous for its mosques and public baths.
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