Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Medina Azahara
Even in the cicada-shrill heat and stillness of a summer afternoon, the
Medina Azahara
(Madinat al-Zahra; 957 32 91 30; adult/EU citizen €1.50/free; 10am-6.30pm Tue-Sat,
to 8.30pm May-mid-Sep, to 2pm Sun)
whispers of the power and vision of its founder, Abd
ar-Rahman III. The self-proclaimed caliph began the construction of a magnificent new
capital 8km west of Córdoba around 936, and took up full residence around 945. Medina
Azahara was a resounding declaration of his status, a magnificent trapping of power.
The new capital was amazingly short-lived. Between 1010 and 1013, during the ca-
liphate's collapse, Medina Azahara was wrecked by Berber soldiers. Today, less than a
tenth of it has been excavated, and only about a quarter of that is open to visitors.
The visitor route leads down to the
Dar al-Wuzara
(House of the Viziers), a substantial
building with several horseshoe arches, fronted by a square garden, and on to the most
impressive building, the painstakingly restored
Salón de Abd ar-Rahman III
, the caliph's
throne hall, with delicate horseshoe arching framing elaborate gardens, and exquisitely
carved stuccowork, of a lavishness hitherto unprecedented in the Islamic world.
Medina Azahara is signposted on Avenida de Medina Azahara, which leads west out of
Córdoba onto the A431.
A taxi costs €37 for the return trip, with one hour to view the site, or you can book a
three-hour coach tour for €6.50 to €10 through many Córdoba hotels.
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