Cordoba’s historic center is a revealing place to be while, at the same moment, a Hamas-Israeli war wages in the Gaza Strip.

With its distinct blend of Arab and Iberian cultures, architecture, and places of worship, Cordobans have co-existed here peacefully for several centuries, although that was not always the case.

Headlines of a hostage deal top the news while we tour this historic center of Cordoba recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its outstanding universal value by virtue of its founding by the Romans in the second century BC and subsequent diversity of inhabitants.

We witnessed first-hand the splendor of this city – equally stunning by day and at night – and the life it still breaths today as visitors flock here to partake in its peaceful convergence of peoples.

May the peace of this place extent to calm the current fighting in the Middle East and to all those suffering intolerance, war or persecution.