At the Heart of Hiroshima

In April, the orange blossoms flourish in Cordova and its fragrance perfumes the orange and lemon tree lined streets. This is the beginning of our Spring, when Cordova is awakened from its Winter hibernation. This intense and delicate scent seems to want to surprise and to welcome Cordova's thousands of visitors. Even the fallen wilted flowers coat the floor with a beautiful white mantle, reminding us about the legend of Azahara, “the favourite”.

The orange tree and its white flower is the leitmotif of this story. The beginning is sad and reveals the duality inherent in human beings. We are equally capable of committing the vilest and the noblest of deeds.

In August 1945, the United States dropped the first atomic bomb in history on Hiroshima and Nagashaki. A few days later, President Truman went on to boast about the results of this absolutely disastrous event.

The bombs, nicknamed “Little Boy” and “Fat Man” as if they were a cruel joke, devastated both cities, and hundreds of thousands people were affected in hideous ways. Nowadays, the horrific consequences are still present in the descendants of the survivors

 But from the ruins of these cities, the world decided to build a place for peace and understanding. In Hiroshima, right where the first bomb was detonated, a 30-year- old building stood, mutilated… in defiance of devastation. Today, this building is known as The Genbaku Dome, in the heart of the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park.

In 1957, Meryan was commissioned with a special order that bound us to Hiroshima: Cordova City Council wanted to send 50 orange tree seeds, from El Patio de los Naranjos of the Mosque, to be planted in that very park. Meryan made the leather chest that was used to transport the seeds. The cover showed images of El Patio de los Naranjos, the Mosque’s naves and the seals of both the Provincial Council and the City Council. Inside the box, there was a beautiful mission statement:

“Seeds from the Mosque of Cordova’s orange trees, you go to Hiroshima in a mission of love and peace… to be born where the death was spread.”

It is special feeling being selected to be the carrier of the symbol of fraternity, remembrance and the desire for

Certainly today, somewhere in Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, the orange blossoms from Cordova will have flourished.