Portico
When you are at the entrance of the Madinat al-Zahra you can already see the arches of the "Portico" in the far distance. From "Upper Basilica Building" it is only a small walk down the slope to get there, and it is no surprise that my feet eagerly danced down the hill to take a look up close at these huge arches.
The Portico used to be the symbolic and ceremonial entrance to the heart of the Alcázar consisting of an extensive series of arches. Originally there were 14 of these arches, but nowadays only 4 of them are left. Although less in numbers they still trigger the fantasy how it might have looked like in the mid 10th century. The arches were the façade of the parade ground of the palace, most likely used for events and military parades. The days of the military parades at the Madinat al-Zahra are long gone and instead quietness has taken over the area. But the arches of the Portico still fulfil a proud task, by framing the clear blue Andalucían sky and the remains of the Alcázar below in a perfect way.
When you look at the photos you can see that all of the arches are segmental, except for the central one (see third photo) which is a horseshoe arch. As the archaeologists were working on the other side of the arches we didn't continue the trail as it seemed closed to the public for the time being. A big mistake of me assuming that, as we might have continued our way! If we had, we would have ended up at the "Salón de Abd al-Rahman III", which is, judging by the photos I have seen, a must see when visiting Madinat al-Zahra. Instead of following the trail we slowly worked our way back up the slope again enjoying the sunshine, the views and the feeling of history oozing around us.
Finding pieces of the puzzle
House of Ya'Far
Having slowly worked our way back up the hill we got back at the road crossing which divides up the area of the administrative section of the Alcázar (which we just visited) and the residential part of the Alcázar.
In the residential area I was struck by how impressive the work has been with finding and fitting all the pieces of the puzzle back together again of the Madinat al-Zahra. The work and love that must have been put into this historical site to re-construct it in the best possible way is so impressive.
In the photo above you can see the detail of the intricate decorations of the House of Ya'Far. The decorations are real 'puzzle pieces' been put back together again to form their original complex and beautiful decorations.
The piece of marble in the right photo is maybe not so beautiful but fascinating nevertheless when looking at the puzzle pieces. This is a re-construction of a water basin. The water basin has been put back to its original position at the stables at the entrance of the residential area. These stables most likely were the home to 25 to 30 horses.
House of Ya'Far
House of Ya'Far
By far the highlight for me of the residential area of the Madinat al-Zahra is the "House of Ya'Far". This house is a good example of a residence of a senior official of the caliph's administration; most likely this was the house of the hayib (prime minister) of the Caliph State from 961 to 972.
For me personally the highly intricate plaster relief-work took my breath away and I couldn't get enough of it. The façade is so beautifully and abundantly decorated with atauriques; which is a plasterwork decoration of leaf and flower motifs. Atauriques are common in Spanish Moorish architecture and I saw many beautiful examples of it during my visits at the Mezquita Mosque / Cathedral in Cordoba and at the Alhambra in Granada, although I never imagined in seeing such wonderful examples here at the Madinat al-Zahra.
The façade is made up of three horseshoe arches as seen in photos 2 and 3. The central parts are supported on columns and the outer parts on pilasters.
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.
The Upper Garden
The Upper Garden
If you manage to drag your eyes away from the "House of Ya'Far", which I found quite difficult, I have to admit, you shouldn't forget to walk to the other side of the street. From here you'll have a really nice overview over the "Upper Garden". The garden is located around 10 metres below the view point allowing for a perfect overview of the area. Unfortunately you can't get into the gardens from here. So early in spring the gardens are still relatively bare, but the formal structure of the garden is clearly visible (see photo).
Together with the Lower Gardens, which are located beside the Upper Garden, they formed the largest garden area in Al-Andalus. What you see today is only part of the original gardens as a large part of the gardens haven't been excavated yet. Both the Upper and the Lower gardens share a similar design. Water for the garden was provided by the four large ponds at the Upper Garden. The current layout of the gardens was designed in the 1960's.
West Wall of the Upper Garden
Also visible from the viewing area at the "House of Ya'Far" you can see the impressive "West Wall of the Upper Garden". Although it looks like a structure build to defend the Madinat al-Zahra, it's main purpose is actually more to give support to the hold up the artificial terrace of the Upper Gardens. In the photo you can only see the first part of the wall, but if you look clearly you can see the wall structure continue below on a lower level. As the upper part, the lower part also consists of a regular pattern of towers.
The viewing area over the gardens was the last part of our visit to the Madinat al-Zahra, a visit that I enormously enjoyed and was grateful to be able to combine it with my visit to Cordoba. Although I was doubtful in the beginning if I should visit or not, I am so happy that I did in the end as there is so much more to see here and preserved then I originally thought.
From the viewpoint over the gardens a last climb up the slope to the parking area remains, and yes, you might want to gasp for air on a hot day when walking up the hill again. But without a doubt you'll think a visit to this 'lost city' was worth it! I certainly did!
Read more on page 3 about Medina Azahara....
