Mezquita in Cordoba

**Tomdaviesclay** · #1 02-08-2016, 04:50 PM

Several weeks ago, I closed my eyes and picked the Mezquita de Cordoba (Mosque-Cathedral in Cordoba, Spain) as my next model to build (that is a scientific way to do it). We visited the Mezquita on our Cathedralquest to Spain in 2009. Please visit my website -Cathedralquest ( CATHEDRAL QUEST Spain 2009 day 11 our visit to C) for the history of this magnificent building, photos, and our experience visiting it.

The model kit is by Merino in Spain. I have 10 Merino models of places that we have visited in Spain, but so far the only one that I have made is El Pilar in Saragossa. I posted this model on Papermoders on 3/5/12.

The Mezquita model is 20" x 27" – a large model. There are 40 pages of parts. As shown by the cover photos, a section of the roof is removable to reveal 178 of the 856 red and white striped horse shoe arches of the mosque section. The Cathedral construction was begun in 1523 in the middle of the original mosque but does not open up in the model. It was a beautiful Cathedral.

The photos below show the progress that I have made so far with the cloister section. This is such a large model that I will post my progress regularly. The small circles on the ground show the location of trees that are to be cut out and glued on - over fifty of them.

I am having a similar problem as I had on the building of the GPM model of Malbork Castle, and that is the parts for each section are scattered throughout the 40 pages. It takes a long time to find the smaller pieces. I went through the pages about eight times looking for part N5, which was the small stairway leading from the main exterior door into the cloister. I almost gave up on it:-)

The part numbers are printed beside the part and not on it, so it is a good idea to write the number on the part as the directions and drawings constantly referred to the part number. There are no numbers to indicate which parts are to be joined together. There are 10 pages of detailed instructions written in three languages – including English. There seven pages of good size drawing of each section which show how the numbered parts fit together.

Today I finished the first section of the model which is the cloister. The center of the cloister has over 50 small trees which I have not yet planted.[/SIZE

**Don Boose** · #2 02-08-2016, 04:53 PM

Excellent beginning to another most interesting and complex model, Thomas. As always, I appreciate the information about the structure and your connection to it.

I am sure the architectural modelers are glad to have information about challenges the model presents and, although I will never build this particular model, I enjoy reading this kind of thing and seeing how you overcome the challenges.

The Mezquita is an unusual collection of structures and very beautiful.

Don

**Art Deco** · #3 02-08-2016, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomdaviesclay

I am having a similar problem as I had on the building of the GPM model of Malbork Castle, and that is the parts for each section are scattered throughout the 40 pages. It takes a long time to find the smaller pieces.

Searching repeatedly through forty parts pages, that sounds tedious! Would it be helpful to have an index telling you which page a part is found on? If so ... for each parts page, you could enter the page and part numbers into a spreadsheet, word processor, or any app that can sort data. Then sort by part number, and print it out on a single sheet.

Good luck!

**Tomdaviesclay** · #4 02-08-2016, 10:06 PM

Don, thanks for your kind remarks. It is always good to hear from you. In your travels have you been to Córdoba? The old town is rather remarkable.

Art Deco, thanks for the suggestion. It sounds like a good idea, but this model uses every letter of the alphabet with at least 40 numbers attached to each letter. Most of the larger parts are obvious like the red roofs, large colorful walls, and the hundreds of horseshoe arches. It is the small parts that often change color and are not obvious the first or second go around that I have trouble with. I am just getting old and don't see as well as I used to :-) . I am going to sleep on your suggestion.

**Mike Stamper** · #5 02-09-2016, 12:06 PM

That looks like a good start to a big model!

Shame about the absence of an index of parts - "my" theatre has a list and the kit "only" has 12 pages - perhaps you should go to Prague for your next holiday ;-))

We visited Cordoba many years ago, we we went to a Flamenco evening. The show was in a small courtyard and the stage was a temporary affair. We were told that the two dancers had recently won a big national competition. I had seen the "tourist dancing" before, but this was like nothing I'd seen - it was great and it was - excuse the expression - the most erotic dancing I've seen - don't worry - no one took off their clothes.

Cheers

Mike

**didibuch** · #6 02-09-2016, 12:12 PM

That seems to be a nice and big modell.
Your start looks promising.

Regards
Dieter

**sander1942** · #7 02-09-2016, 02:04 PM

Interesting and you're off to an excellent start.

I've experienced the same problem with kits that strew the numbers over several pages. My solution has been to examine the pages and try to find the lowest number on each and mark it...that way, when I am after a number, I can eliminate some pages rather quickly. Of course if I use the piece, I have to renumber...if I remember.

**Seascape** · #8 02-09-2016, 04:17 PM

Great start. This looks like a very interesting model.

Fred

**Don Boose** · #9 02-09-2016, 04:53 PM

Thomas - I regret to say that I have never been to Spain. I was a Pacific Soldier my entire career so, although I have spent many years in Korea; Japan; and Hawai'i; a year in Vietnam; and have visited Malaysia, Taiwan, and the Philippines, Lil and I have made only brief visits to the UK, Sweden, and France. However, I have done a lot of vicarious travel via your website and models. Don

**Tomdaviesclay** · #10 02-10-2016, 07:53 PM

Thank all of you for your encouraging and kind words. I have reexamined several known kit publishers and found that most of them have their pieces for each part pretty close together. This Merino kit uses letters of the alphabet first and then the numbers. For example, the tower is "T" with 42 parts, the exterior wall of the cloister is the letter "E" with 23 parts. The interior wall and roof are "N" with 28 parts. On the N parts I went through all 40 pages and circled the N letters with a red pen and put the sheets in a separate pile. Next I will start on the 30 "K" pieces which includes the 178 horse shoe arches.

Don, thanks for your second thread. Spain is really a great country to visit. I would love to go back. Since you have been to England, you might be interested that I have started posting our days in England2013. CATHEDRAL QUEST 2013 Our 2013 quest to visit Scottish and English cathedrals and churches .I am now up to Day 10 with 13 more to write. It seems like it takes a longer to write about the adventure than the actual visit. My mind is sure slowing down