|Abd ar-Rahman I| |al-HakamI| |Abd ar-Rahman II and II| |al-HakamII| |Conclusion|
Abd ar-Rahman III's eldest son, al-Hakam II, had been designated heir to the throne at an early stage, but he was 46 before he finally came to power, and he was Caliph for only 15 years. He is depicted as cultured and peaceable, as a generous lover of the arts (with a particular interest in the works of Antiquity), a noteworthy commissioner of new buildings, and at the same time a deeply religious man well versed in theology and law. He is praised upon with a short enigmatic verses:
"His name is utered in one breath with strength and splendour, with nobility and scholarship, immortal works and fine achievments"
He continued the domestic and foreign policy of his father, albeit without the latters energy, and he had an undisputed tendency to leave the affairs of state in the hands of his officials. Even so, he was able to repel a Norman attack by Almeria, and subsequently enlarged his naval fleet. Much is being researched in his building activities, and even today some point out that he is responsible for the extension and beautification of Madinat al-Zahra.
Madinat al-Zahra: al-Hakam II is known to have ordered the continuing construction of this new city initially started by Abd ar-Rahman III
Al-Hakam had just one son, born of a Basque mother when he was already of advanced age. This son, Hisham, took the oath of loalty from his father at the age of eleven, shortly after the latter's death. The child's investiture as Caliph was met with resistance, and it was only with difficulty that his mother and her close associates managed to have him recognised. However, Hisham was incompetent and a pawn in the hands of his mother and his guardian, Ibn Abi Amir, who ruled much of the affairs of state in his shadow. He had the advantage of a thorough legal training, and his ambitions were far-reaching. In the sources he comes across as intelligent, energetic, and at the same time totally lacking in hesitance. His close relationship with the conservative legal profession in Cordova were the foundations of his rapid rise to power. In order to secure the favour of his influential community, Ibn Abi Amir went so far as to have the books in al-Hakam II's library which they judged heretical (in particular the scientific works) publicly burned.