okie dokey ... Since i started this thread I'm requesting that we get back on track -- which can include discussion of the Grand Mosque or other mosques in Europe (but not so much the other stuff). Cordoba has an incredible mosque -- the Great Mosque of Cordoba -- which dates back to ~ 785 AD. When I saw it back in the early 90s I had the place to myself (but then I had all sorts of fantastic places to myself, as I was traveling during the midst of the World Cup and wherever I went -- whether in Italy, Spain or Portugal -- everyone seemed to be sitting in front of a television set). More photos at the ArchNet Digital Library - Great Mosque of Cordoba