According to the ArchNet Digital Library the Great Mosque of Cordoba is also called "La Mezquita," "Mezquita-Catedral," "Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba." It has a "hypostyle plan" which consists of a "rectangular prayer hall and an enclosed courtyard." These architectural designs were traditional based on styles established in the Umayyad and Abbasid mosques of Syria and Iraq, the ArchNet Digital Library explains. The system of columns that support double arcades of piers and arches "with alternating red and white voussoirs" is a very original and innovative style of architecture. Structurally, the fascinating visual effect with the actual space created gives greater height within the hall. The ArchNet Digital Library claims that the Great Mosque of Cordoba is similar to the Great Mosque of Damascus and the Dome of the Rock in that the red and white (alternating) voussoirs match up well.

The most "lavish interior ornament" in the Great Mosque of Cordoba...
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