Medina Azahara | Conjunto Arqueológico Madinat al-Zahra

Hello! Today we will become caliphs for a while touring the remains of the ancient city of Medina Azahara "the shining city". Get creative to imagine what this beautiful city became and enjoy the ride. It was ordered to be built by the first caliph of Córdoba, Abderramán III, at the end of the year 936. Located at the foot of Sierra Morena, about 8 km outside of Córdoba It is built on a hill designed on three levels, the lowest was the mosque and the medina, where most of the population lived. In the second the government buildings and gardens. The upper level was intended for the royal palace and residence of the caliph. It was surrounded by a wall equipped with towers. Although today we can see it almost naked, no resources were spared for its construction since its intention was to impress the world. In it we could find beautiful gardens and imposing buildings such as the palace, for which valuable materials such as marble and gold were used. Despite all the effort, Medina Azahara had a short life, lasting just 75 years, the city ended up being destroyed, looted, burned and later forgotten. Its ruins began to be professionally excavated in 1911, although only 10 of the 112 hectares on which it extends have been discovered. It was declared an Asset of Cultural Interest in 1923. Its museum opened in 2009, and was declared a World Heritage Site in 2018.