|Madinat al-Zahra-1| |Alhambra-1| |Alhambra-2|
Undoubtedly, the main form of artistic and cultural expression in al-Andalus transcends itself through the architecture of the region. Here, I will limit my analysis on architectural and artistic forms such as space, light, colour and structure for two specific buildings that I consider as masterpieces of world architecture.
Madinat al-Zahra (City of the Rose).
Monumental construction projects were for the Caliphs a means to demonstrating their power. Abd ar-Rahman III's first such project in Cordova was to build the new capital, Madinat al-Zahra, located some five kilometers to the North-West of Cordova. The burden of this responsibility was placed on the shoulders of two architects: Maslama bin Abd Allah and Ali bin Jafar, a notorious buiolder from Alexandria. Its functional purpose was to serve as a royal residence, seat the government and was also a popular dwelling area for the Emir. It was a colossal construction project made by the Emir and 10,000 workers were said to be employed to undertake the task. Apart from the foundations and paving stone, 6000 blocks are said to have been cut every day, and a total of 4324 marble columns imported mostly from Tunisia, along with marble basins from Byzantium and Syria, and twelve golden sculptures inlaid with pearls, also from Syria, for the Caliph's bedroom.
Madinat al-Zahra: View into The Great West Hall. Unfortunately though, during the late years of the Islamic empire, mutinous Berber forces destroyed much of the city and left it in ruins during the age of the petty kingdoms.
Madinat al-Zahra: Salon Rico The "Rich Hall" is one of the most splendid halls in the whole city and is presumed to be Abd ar-Rahman III's main reception hall. Monumental inscriptions indicate that it was built between 953 and 957.
Its architectural form, however, is quite interesting and it is worth commenting on. The arches here are known as Horseshoe arches and were to become a hallmark of Islamic design celebrated as both a necessary structural system to support loads and as a means of creative output in many of the royal and religious buildings in the area. Its form can be noted as more loftier than its Roman counterpart which consequently lead the viewer's gaze upwards because of its stress on verticality. In this building it is also used as an arcade running around the perimeter of the building that helps in creating a wodnerous sense of rhythm and continuity. Moreover, Islamic arches are "pinched" towards the bottom to give it more of a stylistic look. Examples of Islamic arches are illustrated here:
A plain artist sketch here shows a relatively plain capital with little ornamentation used mainly in the interior of the select buildings.
A much more elaborate designed capital was mainly used to grace the facade's of only the most royal buildings in al-Andalus From the ruins that remain, it is difficult to deciphre exactly how one would spatially experience this area. However, recent archaeological expeditions made to the site help us somewhat in figuring this out partially. The city covered a walled area measuring some 1500 by 750 metres. By reason of its awkward topography, it was built on three terraces one above the other, which were planned as three districts sepereated from each other by walls. The caliph's residence dominated the top terrace looking down on the city. The middle terrace housed the government offices and the homes of senior court officials, while the lowest terrace was reserved for common folk. Here there were mosques, markets, baths and gardens. It is intetresting to see how the architect here built around the existing awkward site to come up with an ingenious plan. Typically, it seems our modern buildings assert themselves forcefully onto the site and create a dissruption. Not so here at Madinal al-Zahra, where one can recall the activities of a bustling city. Al-Idrisi, described it as "an important city, built in tiers one above the other, so that the ground of the uppermost was at the level of the rooftops of the lowest. All three were surrounded by walls. The palace stood in the uppermost regions..in the middle region were orchards and gardens, while the Friday mosque and private dwellings were situated on the lowest level."
