Cordoba the Caliphate
Cordoba was from the very outset of the conquest
the capital of Al Andalus. The seat of the independent caliphate,
it was during the 10th Century the most densely populated city
of the Old Continent and its splendour dazzled geographers, chroniclers
and travellers alike. As the centre of power and cultural hub,
it laid the foundations of Islamic art in Al Andalus. Abderramán
I initiated in the 8th Century the construction of the Aljama
mosque, one old the most emblematic buildings of Islamic art.
It was extended on various occasions, for the last time by Almanzor
at the end of the 10th Century. In the 16th century a cathedra
was built inside it.
The minarets of other Cordoba mosques have survived at the Churches
of Santiago and San Juan (9th C.), and at the church of the Convent
of Santa Clara (10th C.). Of the four kilometres of walled grounds
that it had, only part has survived, now very much restored, near
to the Gate of Almodóvar. Vestiges of the old Alcázar
Palace of los Omeyas, situated opposite the Mosque, can be appreciated
only in the facade of the Episcopal Palace and the Calahorra houses
an exhibition of models, audio- visual materials and figures on
Islamic Andalusia. Other baths that have been conserved in Cordoba
are those of Santa María, very much modified by successive
alterations, and the Baths of La Pescadería. The Roman
Bridge displays the restoration work performed by the Muslims.
Examples of their hydraulic constructions which have survived
are the Mills of Enmedio and La Albolafia (10th C.). The mosaic-
like design of the capital of the Caliphate is in evidence in
the Ajerquía, here the Mozarabs settled in Cordoba and
in the Judería, the Jewish Quarter, with its synagogue,
situated near la Aljama district. A fitting epilogue to this route
would be a visit to nearby Médinat al- Zahara, paradigm
of a grand ephemeral town. Built in the 10th Century by Abderramán
and destroyed in 1010 during the Berber insurrection which brought
the Caliphate to an end, it still boasts the ruins of palaces,
baths, mosques… This represented the highest point of the
splendour of Caliphate art.
Cordoba guide