Introduction
Medina Azahara means the City of Flowers and it represents the ruins of the fortified Arab Muslim medieval palace in Spain (Khan, 2012). The palace was built in 929 by Abd al-Rahman. It was constructed approximately 13 kilometers northwest of Cordoba, Spain. According to the precedence set by the previous governments, this was the most ambitious project. The Medina al-Zahara project was carried out in an exaggerated pace since the Caliph was eagerly waiting for its completion. He made the palace to be his administrative and central point of governance (Khan, 2012). This was his way of demonstrating his new status after he had proclaimed himself a Caliph after the Spanish Umayyad lost its power and influence in Spain (Khan, 2012).
The contraction
To be precise, the Caliph spent almost a third of the total revenue on the development and construction of this project. According to the evidence collected in his time, this was the biggest project that had been ever carried out. In fact, the project maintained this historic record for several subsequent centuries. The building was divided into three terraces and the highest point was the caliph’s palace. Form this point, he was able to see the entire city in all directions. In addition, the palace was unique because it was situated in isolation from the rest of the city, hence allowing the caliph to have a better view of the entire state.
The reason for making the Caliph’s palace significantly unique and visibly isolated was to symbolize power. This was to show the difference between the caliph and the normal civilians as well as creating a sense of power and respect for the leader. From the records gathered about Medina al-Zahra, this palace was the first construction project to be completed in the region (Khan, 2012). In a hierarchical arrangement, after the Caliph’s palace, there was the second terrace that hosted the government buildings and palaces (Khan, 2012). At this level in the three terraces of the entire building, there were several halls that were constructed and reserved mainly to accommodate and receive important government visitors.
The building was designed in such a way that there was a void space left in between the middle and the lower terraces. Within the space left between these two levels, there was a mosque which is a very important Muslim’s house of prayer. It is recorded that the first prayer meeting held in the mosque within the building was done in the year 941 (Khan, 2012). This was the first Friday that the Muslim adherents converged to worship in the mosque for the first time in history. It is also said that the construction work took 1000 craftsmen to complete it within the shortest period of about 48 days (Khan, 2012). The total amount of time taken to build the entire Medina al-Zahra amounted to 40 years.
Levels of construction
The work done in the first two and half decades was under the leadership of Abd al-Rahman III (Khan, 2012). He oversaw the building’s construction from the foundation between the years 936 and 937 until the time of his death in the year 961 (Khan, 2012). After his death, the following one and a half decades were under al-Hakim 11’s leadership. During his reign, Hakam extended the great mosque of Cordoba (Khan, 2012). He was responsible for the magnificent design and creation of the reception halls, gardens, bath houses and the excellent fountains all over the palace.
However, the construction of official buildings stalled for sometime soon after Hakam’s death in the year 976. However, this did not affect the houses in the lower terrace. In essence, construction of all the houses that were not immediately linked to the palace area was not affected and their construction did not stop immediately after Hakam’s death. The city and its architectural setting lay in the area where simple houses such as garrisons, gardens and markets were the major feature (Khan, 2012). In addition, this area hosted other construction works, such as the subterranean prison and state factories (Khan, 2012). However, the significance of the city and its influence on the Medina al-Zahra palace was reduced when new but similarly named palace was created by al-Mansur.
Al-Mansur was the first minister. Caliph Hisham was still a minor at the time when al-Mansur was creating a new palace in 978-980 (Khan, 2012), but the Medina al-Zahra was still in place by then and it was not destroyed. In the year 1010, the real ruin was made by the rebellious Berber groups (Khan, 2012). Despite the events that unfolded and the ruining of the palace, the new Medina al-Zahra remained closed and inhabited until the 12 century (Khan, 2012). Today, the building has been excavated but not all of it. Notably, the upper and the middle terraces are the only parts of the building that have been found (Khan, 2012). The other parts are still in ruins and very little has been done about them. Notably, the buildings on the lower terrace have not been touched or excavated up to date.
Artistic features
Nonetheless, it is important to note some of the artistic features that characterize the palace’s decorations. This is mostly with regard to the caliph’s palace. The palace had decorated walls and a mosaic-like floor that was covering the whole floor (Khan, 2012). The main reason for the construction of the palace was not mainly religious or luxurious. The palace was constructed to make a political and administrative statement. In order to establish the authority and influence of the Caliph, there was need for the construction of a new city that would mark a shift in power.
That was so important for the caliph that he decided to devote most of the state’s resources to the construction of this historic building. The caliph had several rivals including the Fatimid of Ifriqiya in northern Africa (Khan, 2012). The construction of a new city was to demonstrate the caliph’s superiority over these rivals. The palace served as the main residence for caliphs until in the year 1010 when the ensuing civil war led to its demolition. After its horrific ruin, it was abandoned and most of its features and elements were vandalized and used in other buildings and for other functions. It is approximated that the city remained to be an influential political icon for more than 80 year since its inception.
Reason for the construction of the city
This was a calculated show of might because the city was the first to be built from the ground all the way up in the entire Western Europe (Khan, 2012). The name of the city is said to have been borrowed from the Caliph’s favorite concubine who was called Azahara. There are many stories that suggest why the Caliph had to build and name the city after his concubine. Some argue that his favorite concubine was very demanding and that the caliph did this to please her. However, most historians agree on the fact that the main reason for the construction of this city was mostly for political reasons rather than love. Nonetheless, no one knows the exact reason as all of the given rationales are mere speculations. However, political reasons are more sensible considering the events that preceded his decision to construct the city.
He was consolidating his political power at that time and he was almost getting into a political conflict with the Fatimid Dynasty (Khan, 2012). The caliph and the Fatimid Dynasty were fighting to gain control of North Africa at the time (Khan, 2012). It was during this conflict that he ordered the construction of the city and he named it Zahara. In Arabic, Zahara means shining or a radiant object which in this context meant he was the politically shining star and he had the power and authority to take control over North Africa. Putting the name in this context, it clearly makes sense to assume that he meant to give the city a name that carried a political meaning.
Therefore, many critics and historians support the notion that the Caliph was refereeing to his political strength rather than his romantic feelings. Others argue that the naming of the city was an act of paying homage to the Caliph’s religious stand. Being a Muslim, it is believed that Fatimah al-Zahra, the Prophet Muhammad’s daughters was the reason that led to the caliph to name the city Zahara. Most people believe this was a way of paying homage to the caliph’s religious belief. Therefore, it is not very clear which of the assumptions with regard to the naming of the city is true (Khan, 2012).
All of these assumptions are very viable in terms of the meaning attached to them. However, the construction of the city had many advantages that were politically aligned. As the construction began, the caliph had declared himself an independent and a true leader. In order to impress the world and to prove his power and political strength, he had to construct the biggest city in the world in order to show his might. However, he understood this was not enough and that he needed to prove his legitimacy to the world.
Conclusion
To achieve this, he introduced political, economic, and ideological measures during his tenure as a political leader (Khan, 2012). This is how the idea of creating a huge record breaking capital city came from. The architecture of the mosque built in the city was one of the most striking features. It was made of marble walls and ceilings of gold (Khan, 2012). It also had carved doors and ivory as well as sculptures made of amber and pearls (Khan, 2012). It is said that the remains seen today in the ruins of Madina al-Zahra is only 10% of its total extent.
Reference
Khan, R. (2012). The palace-city of Medina al-Zahra near Cordoba. Web.