Some 8km west of Córdoba stand the ruins of Medina Azahara, the 10th-century palace-city built by Caliph Abd ar-Rahman III. Only about a tenth of the original city has been excavated and visits, which start in a modern museum some 2km below the hillside ruins, are limited to the central section of the Alcázar, the quarter that comprised the caliph's palace and attendant offices and residential blocks.
Legend has it that Abd ar-Rahman III commissioned Medina Azahara for his favorite wife, Az-Zahra. More realistically, it was probably his declaration of the caliphate of Córdoba in 929 that spurred him to build a new capital. Work started in 940 and chroniclers record some staggering statistics: 10,000 labourers set 6000 stone blocks a day, eventually building a city whose outer walls stretched 1518m east to west, and 745m north to south.
Construction took 35 years, yet only a few years after the city was completed, it fell into rapid decline. In 981 the usurper Al-Mansur transferred his government to a new palace complex. Then, between 1010 and 1013, Berber soldiers sacked it during the violent power struggle that preceded the caliphate's demise. Over succeeding centuries its ruins were repeatedly plundered for building materials.
Get your entrance tickets at the modern museum by the car park. Here you can also watch an interesting introductory film (in Spanish with English subtitles) and browse informative displays illustrating Medina's planning and construction, its inhabitants and eventual downfall.
From the car park, a shuttle bus ferries you up to the ruins, which you enter through the city’s original northern gate. Highlights include the arched Edificio Basilical Superior, which housed the main state admin offices, a row of red-striped arches from the Grand Portico, and the Casa de Yafar, believed to have been residence of the caliph's prime minister.
The site's crown jewel, the royal reception hall known as the Salón de Abd ar-Rahman III (or Salón Rico), has been closed for restoration since 2009 (with no expected completion date at the time of research).
To get to Medina Azahara by car from Córdoba, head west on the A431, exiting after about 6km. Alternatively, a bus runs to the site from Glorieta Cruz Roja at 10.15am, 11am and 11.45am Tuesdays to Sundays, plus 2.40pm on Saturdays – check these times as seasonal variations apply. Buy tickets (adult/child €9/5 return including the shuttle bus to/from the ruins) on the bus or at Córdoba's tourist office – buying in advance is sensible for weekends and public holidays. The bus then starts back from Medina 3¼ hours after it leaves Córdoba.
