مدينة الزهراء

Madinat al-Zahra is among the great buildings of al-Andalus. Al-Nasir Abd al-Rahman founded it near Cordoba at the beginning of the year 325 AH, four and two-thirds miles from the city. ²

Al-Maqqari quotes Ibn Bashkuwal, who cites Ibn Khallikan, that it was one of the wonders of the world's buildings. Its length from east to west was two thousand seven hundred cubits, and its width one thousand five hundred cubits. It had four thousand three hundred columns, and its doors numbered more than fifteen thousand. ²

Al-Nasir used to divide the revenue of the land into thirds: one third for the army, one third held in reserve, and one third spent on its building. Al-Maqqari mentions that the revenue of al-Andalus was 5,480,000 dinars. ²

Al-Maqqari quotes Ibn Hayyan that ten thousand men and one thousand five hundred beasts worked on it every day, and that six thousand hewn stones were spent on it each day. Al-Nasir rewarded each marble slab with ten dinars. The marble was brought from Almeria, Ifriqiya and al-Sham, and it was said that some of it came from Constantinople. ³

Al-Nasir built in it the hall called the Caliphal Palace. Al-Maqqari describes its ceiling as gold and marble, and says that in its centre was a basin filled with mercury. He recounts that al-Nasir would order the mercury to be set in motion, and a glint like lightning would appear in the hall. ³

Al-Maqqari mentions that it was destroyed in the civil strife (al-fitna). Later, al-Mu'tamid ibn Abbad and his viziers sat one day among its ruined remains, when his messenger came to them calling them to the Palace of al-Bustan. ⁴

These descriptions and figures are historical reports transmitted by al-Maqqari, and they need an additional source.