The Islamic history of Cordoba in 711 starts with a month long siege by al-Rumi Mugit, Generals of Tarik. Several Years later the Umayyad Prince Abd al-Rahman I, arrived in Cordoba and created, Al-Andalus an independent state. From the year 912 Cordoba was the most splendid city in Europe at the time, more than 1000 mosques and 800 houses were built there. The Catholic Monarch built cathedrals inside this mosque. Whoever enters the mosques appears in an enchanted forest of 850 free-standing columns and red white painted arches again.