Medina Azahara
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The building of the first palace here dates from AD 936, commissioned by Caliph Abd el-Rahman III, the Emir of Córdoba and the man who brought the city to glory. He named it after his favourite wife, Az-Zahra (the Radiant). Though it is little more than a ruin now – sacked in 1009 and rediscovered only in 1910 – at one time this pleasure-dome incorporated a zoo, ponds and gardens, baths, houses, weapons factories and barracks, markets, mosques, a harem of 6,000 women and accommodation for 4,000 slaves. Decorated with ebony, ivory, jasper and marble, it even had a pool of mercury that created dancing lights on the walls and ceiling.
Practical Information
Ctra Palma del Río, W of Córdoba
Open 10am–8:30pm (to 6:30pm in winter) Tue– Sat, 10am–2pm Sun 937 32 91 30 Adm
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