Marble Madinat Al Zahra

A large umayyad carved marble capital madinat al zahra andalusia spain second half 10th century each of the three fully carved faces with very fine scrolling flowering vine the drum with eight protruding leaves the neck with a band of alternating jewel like motifs the upper section with pronounced volutes carved with floral interlace each rising from the drum and supporting the eight.

Marble madinat al zahra. It is strategically located at the foot of sierra morena and far from the city of cordoba and its name means city of light history wanted the city not to reach the century of life and was devastated by the almohads years after being abandoned. Madinat al zahra was sacked and burned by berber troops in the 11th century after the fall of the caliphate. The immense effort taken to create this fantasy city was smashed to pieces after only seventy years too short a life for what was the first caliph s favourite. Madinat al zahra is the city that the caliph abderramán iii ordered to be built to show the world the splendor of his caliphate.

مدينة الزهراء romanized. Spoliation of the site was ongoing some of its pink and blue marble columns adorn the exterior of the giralda in seville for instance and the site was further neglected as patronage shifted to the eastern side of cordoba during the reign of the powerful vizir al mansur. The immense effort taken to create this fantasy city was smashed to pieces after only seventy years too short a life for what was the first caliph s favourite. We are in the year 400 of the hegira 1010 ad of our era.

The site was completely destroyed by the succession of civil wars which ravaged al andalus at the turn of the 11th century and madinat al zahra is now in ruins. Madinat al zahra was declared a unesco world heratige site on 1st july 2018. Madinat al zahra cordoba spain official supplier of rosa portugal for reconstruction of the madinat al zahra in cordoba spain which is the greatest work from islamic culture in the west dating back from the year 1000 ad. On the southern slopes of jebel al arus the bride s mountain the marble jasper and precious metals of the city of madinat al zahra gleam in the morning sun among silver leafed olive groves.

It is almost inconceivable to think that such a city built over 35 years was to last only a few more before the usurper al mansur transferred government to a new palace complex of his own in 981. Then between 1010 and 1013 medina azahara was wrecked by berber soldiers.