Prayer Hall, Great Mosque, Cordoba

I honestly love the look of this mosque because of its whimsical paint job. Am I the only one who is reminded of candy canes? 

This is not to disrespect this structure. The place has great history in addition to the great paint job. It's architecture was unprecedented at its time--all the arches and columns were elaborate dreams that tested that day and age's architectural knowledge and skill. This mosque contains a maqsura, an area where the ruler would worship, divided from the mass of worshippers by screens to delineate the status that used that space. It is lavishly decorated with carvings, mosaic, and marble. While beautiful to behold, it shows the drifting away of Muslim rulers from the original intent of Mohammed. Islam was supposed to be an egalitarian religion that separate prayer spaces clearly does not coincide with.