Considered a jewel of Islamic architecture, the site opened at 10am and will close at 7pm – its regular hours – with only the area where the fire broke out cordoned off to the public, he told AFP.

The spectacular blaze broke out yesterday at about 9pm, raising fears for the early medieval architectural gem and evoking memories of the 2019 fire that ravaged Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

Widely shared videos had shown flames and smoke billowing from inside the major tourist attraction, visited by two million people per year.

Firefighters quickly contained the blaze and Cordoba’s mayor, Jose Maria Bellido, told Spanish media said the monument was “saved”.

“Luckily, the rapid and magnificent intervention of the Cordoba firefighters averted a catastrophe. The fire is now out, and tonight firefighters and local police teams will remain on site to avoid any risk,” he added on X late yesterday.

Officials are expected to give an update on the extent of the damage later today.

ABC and other newspapers reported that a mechanical sweeping machine had caught fire in the site.

The site was built as a mosque – on the site of an earlier church – between the 8th and 10th centuries by the southern city’s then Muslim ruler, Abd ar-Rahman, an emir of the Umayyad dynasty.

After Christians reconquered Spain in the 13th century under King Ferdinand III of Castile, it was converted into a cathedral and architectural alterations were made over following centuries.