Popular legend, recorded by historical writers such as al-Maqqari, holds that the city's name, az-Zahra' (or Azahara in Spanish), came from Abd ar-Rahman III's favorite 展开

Located 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Córdoba in the foothills of the Sierra Morena, oriented north-to-south on the slopes of Jabal al-Arus (meaning … 展开

Overview
The city covered an almost rectangular area measuring 1.5 km long (roughly from east to west) and 750 wide (roughly from north to south). Its perimeter was protected by a thick stone wall with square bastions. Today only … 展开

Archeological excavations on the site began in 1911 under the direction of Spanish architect Ricardo Velázquez Bosco. Work continued under Félix Hernández Giménez … 展开

Background
Abd ar-Rahman III was a member of the Umayyad dynasty, which had formerly ruled the Islamic world as head of the Umayyad Caliphate. … 展开

Artistically, Madinat al-Zahra played a great role in formulating a distinct Andalusi Islamic architecture (also referred to as Moorish architecture), as well as establishing a more … 展开

A new archeological museum dedicated to Medina Azahara was opened in 2009, located on the edge of the site. The museum building was built … 展开