The Medina Azahara - Cordoba
One of the most interesting sites to visit while in Cordoba is the UNESCO Medina Azahara ruins (or Madinat al-Zahra). Certainly not as famous or visited as the Grand Mosque, but incredibly important none the less. The site is still being excavated, and for good reason, there are incredible things still to be found and new discoveries waiting in the ruins.
The Medina Azahara was a fortified palace-city on the western outskirts of Córdoba in present-day Spain. Its remains are a major archaeological site today.
The city was built in the 10th century by Abd-ar-Rahman III (912–961), a member of the Umayyad dynasty and the first caliph (Islamic for the ruler of the Muslim community) of Al-Andalus (what is now Andalucía). It served as the capital of the Caliphate of Córdoba and its center of government.
This city sought to demonstrate its superiority over great rivals, such as the Fatimid Caliphs of Ifriqiya in North Africa and the Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad.
The construction began in 936–940 and continued in in different phases throughout the reign of the Caliph. When his son, Al-Hakam II (r. 961–976) came to power, construction continued through his reign as well.
The new city included ceremonial reception halls, a congregational mosque, administrative and government offices, aristocratic residences, gardens, a mint, workshops, barracks, service quarters, and baths. Water was supplied through aqueducts. After al-Hakam II's death, however, the city ceased to act as the center of government under the rule of Ibn Abi Amir al-Mansur (Almanzor).
Between 1010 and 1013 it was sacked during a civil war and thereafter abandoned, with many of its materials re-used elsewhere.
The excavation of the city only started as recent as 1911 and only about 10 hectares (0.04 square miles or about 0.1 square kilometers) of the 112 hectares of the city have been excavated and partially restored, but there is still so much more to explore.
One finds that similar construction materials and style have been used in the construction of Medina Azahara city as in the Mosque, such as the red and white alternating stonework that makes up the arches in the mosque, and, obviously, the Islamic calligraphy predominately carved into the building structures.
If you ever get a chance to visit Cordoba, take some time to visit the Medina Azahara in addition to the wonderful sites in and around the mosque in the center of town, after all, it’s located just 8 kilometers (roughly 5 miles) on the outskirts of town!
