Sim1 travels to Madinat al-Zahra

The Madinat al-Zahra

Madinat al-Zahra, view towards House of Ya'Far

On the foothills of the Morena Sierra, only 8 kilometres outside of the city of Cordoba you can find the remains of what once was one of the most beautiful cities in the world and also the capital of al-Andalus: the Madinat al-Zahra (or in English also referred to as Medina Azahara).

Now it seems a forgotten place, which only attracted a handful of visitors during our visit on this gorgeous sunny afternoon in March 2008. The number of archaeologists, working constantly to discover more and more of this lost city, easily outnumbered the number of visitors. Only 10%, approx 112 hectares, of this once Islamic city in Southern Spain has been excavated and restored so far and one can only imagine what lost splendour is still hidden underneath the ground.

Madinat al-Zahra dates back to the 10th century, built by Abd ar-Rahman III, the Caliph of Córdoba. Its heydays were only short-lived as the city only flourished for approximately 80 years. The building started around 940, and between 1010 and 1013 its period of glory came to an abrupt end. A civil war put an end to the Ummayad Caliphate and the city was plundered and abandoned. Lots of it remains were used to build other constructions. But despite all that, walking through these 'newly' discovered and restored piles of stones, walls and arches, one can still imagine what this place must have been like in the 10th century. If you are in Andalucía, and especially if you are in the area of Cordoba, a visit to Madinat al-Zahra is something you shouldn't miss. Especially if you have an interest in history, archaeology and/or architecture you will without a doubt be fascinated by Madinat al-Zahra.

Opening hours:
16 September to 30 April: Tuesday-Saturday: 10.00 to 18.30.
1 May to 15 September: Tuesday-Saturday: 10.00 to 20.30, Sundays: 10.00 to 14.00.
During public holidays: 10.00 to 14.00
Closed on Mondays and on the 1st and 6th January, 1st of May, 24th, 25th and 31st of December.

Admittance:
EU citizens with proof of nationality: free (although no one asked or checked during our visit). Other nationalities: €1.50.

A forgotten city rediscovered

After its short-lived years of glory, followed by its destruction around 1010, the city of Madinat al-Zahra was forgotten for 900 years and buried underneath a steadily growing layer of earth. Not earlier then 1854 the city of Madinat al-Zahra was re-discovered and the interest for this forgotten city relived. The first excavations began in 1911 and in 1923 some pieces of land were expropriated making room for this enormous archaeological site. The excavations steadily continue since 1911, although with several interruptions of amongst other, the Spanish war.

Although work steadily continues, the city of Madinat al-Zahra is still under threat from the outside world. Illegal housing construction is threatening the unexcavated portion of the site according to an article in the New York Times from August 2005.

The Madinat al-Zahra falls since 1985 under the protection of the Junta de Andalucía. In the city of Cordoba you can see a wide collection of materials coming from Madinat al-Zahra in the Archaeological and Ethnological Museum.

Entering through the North Gate

Okay, it is time to start moving and discover this archaeological site for ourselves. The parking place is located above the Madinat al-Zahra and the old city stretches on a terrace-like slope out below us. Old walls, piles of stones and impressive arches are visible in the distance while we walk over paved streets down the slope into the city. Our first stop is at the 'North Gate' which needs some imagination and additional information to understand the significance of this place.

The road leading to the gate is the so called Walnut-Tree way (Camino de los Nogales) which was the fastest route to Cordoba. This was the main entrance from where the city got its food supplies and construction materials. What we see nowadays is a partial reconstruction of the 1930's as looters took many of the blocks forming the original gateway and tower.

It is interesting to notice that the gateway consists of a passage with several right-angled turns, defended by a tower and at the time a small group of guards. This was a common system in Islamic military architecture to control and defend the entrance gateways.

When following the road into the city you will end up at a crossing where you have to decide to go left or right. Left will bring you to the administrative section of the Alcázar and right to the residential part of the Alcázar. You always have to return to this point to get from one area to another. We opted to go left first, into the administrative section, but I don't think there is any advantage/difference which area you would choose to visit first.

Upper Basilica Building

When entering the administrative area or governmental headquarters you can’t escape noticing this impressive structure: the Upper Basilica Building or the Edificio Basilical Superior. The exact history of this building is not known, but most likely it is the headquarters of one of the administrative bodies of the Caliphate. The structure dates back to the mid 10th century and is no less then 54,87 x 30 x 8,20 m in size.

Unlike the North Gate this building has most of its original brickwork intact which is quite amazing in my opinion. I really enjoyed walking around the structure, which is partially accessible. It was fun and surprising to explore and see the always changing views through the many arches. You can see some of the different views through and of the arches in the attached photos.

The walls of the Basilica Building used to be plastered with a mixture of lime and sand and at the base painted in almagra, which is a fine deep red ochre, almost purplish and local to Spain. The other parts would have been painted in white.

The name "Basilica" of this building refers to that it has been built in the "Basilica" style; this was a characteristic style for public buildings at that time, made up of a number of longitudinal naves, separated by columns and arches. It is a bit confusing as nowadays "Basilica" refers to a large and important church, but before the Roman Empire became officially Christian the word "Basilica" was used to describe a public building.

Spain!

Medina Azahara, March 2008

The Madinat al-Zahra

A forgotten city rediscovered

Entering through the North Gate

Upper Basilica Building