Great Mosque
Córdoba, Spain
This weekend (July 9-10) is the Muslim celebration of Eid al-Adha. There were three great libraries in the Muslim world: the Abbasid Library ‘House of Wisdom’ in Baghdad, the Library of the Fatimid Caliphs in Cairo, and the Library of the Spanish Umayyad Caliphs in Córdoba. The latter was part of the Great Mosque, now a UNESCO world heritage site. The most celebrated Library in Muslim Spain, it contained more than 400,000 books and was where Greek and Latin books were translated into Arabic.

The Great Mosque was built by the Umayyad ruler ?Abd ar-Ra?m?n I in 784–786 with extensions in the 9th and 10th centuries that doubled its size, ultimately making it one of the largest sacred buildings in the Islamic world. At the time, Córdoba was the capital of the Muslim-controlled region of Al-Andalus.  When the Christians reclaimed Córdoba in 1236, the Great Mosque became a cathedral.
Pictured above is the prayer hall of the mosque with its forest of 850 pillars made of porphyry, jasper, and multi-colored marble. They support horseshoe arches in the two colors of brick and limestone. The most exquisite decoration in the whole complex is found in the third mihrab, or prayer niche, a small octagonal recess roofed with a single block of white marble that is carved in the form of a shell and has walls inlaid with Byzantine-style mosaics and gold, pictured below.

Minfulness begins today!
Mindfulness can be defined as “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally.” In this 4-week course, mindfulness practitioner Miranda Lee will teach participants how to live a more mindful life and equip them with the tools they need to help build resilience against the challenges of day-to-day life. Some gentle movement (no special clothing or equipment required) will be incorporated into the course. This course will be offered free of charge from 9:00-10:00 a.m. on Fridays from July 8 to July 29 before the Library opens to the public. Participants are welcome to j0in at any time. Please register here.

Miranda Lee received training from Mindful Schools, a non-profit organization that trains educators to bring mindfulness into schools and community spaces. Although mindfulness is an ancient practice coming from Eastern contemplative traditions, Miranda offers a secular and inclusive approach.

Join us for a summer discussion series of TED Talks. Similar to a book group, we'll watch a selected TED Talk ahead of time and then meet virtually through Zoom on Mondays from 1:00-2:00pm to discuss. Attend as your summer schedule and interest allows! The discussion group begins Monday, July 11, and runs through September 19 (no meeting on Labor Day, Monday, September 5).

Registration here gives you access to the entire discussion series:

Our summer schedule of TED talks can be found here.
First up on our schedule:

July 11: Elizabeth Gilbert,  Your Elusive Creative Genius

Elizabeth Gilbert is an American writer, best known for her 2006 best-selling memoir, ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. In her talk, she addresses mental health issues that sometimes accompany creative professions. After the self-proclaimed “freakish success” of her memoir, Gilbert recounts the climate of worry and doubt that began to follow her. “Somehow,” Gilbert says, “we’ve completely internalized and accepted collectively this notion that creativity and suffering are inherently linked.” As young students today decide upon their life trajectory, this is a collective concept that keeps many scared to pursue their dream in a creative field. Gilbert discusses how to construct barriers between a creative work and the anxiety about how it will be received.

Click Here to view the Night Owl - July 8, 2022