Medina Azahara - Conjunto Arqueológico Madinat al-Zara
Equipment / structural
Ctra. Palma del Río, km 5, 5, 14005 Córdoba, España
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Cultural-natural heritage
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Areas of activity applied to this heritage
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Tangible cultural heritage
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Bio / presentation
Medina Azahara, or Madinat al-Zahra, is a palatial city located about 8 km west of Córdoba, Spain. It was founded in the year 936 by the first Caliph of al-Andalus, Abd al-Rahman III, as a symbol of his power and to consolidate his newly established caliphate. The city was designed on terraces: the upper level housed the royal residence; the middle level, government buildings and gardens; and the lower level, residential areas and the mosque. Despite its splendor, Medina Azahara was looted and destroyed during the civil war that led to the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba in the early 11th century. Rediscovered in the 20th century, excavations have uncovered less than 10% of its original extent.