Madinat Al-Zahra - The Radiant Capital of Islamic Spain

A beautifully illustrated exploration of the famed palace-city that was once the heart of Islamic SpainMadinat al-Zahra, a tenth-century palace-city on the western outskirts of Córdoba, Spain, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, stands as a testament to the multicultural environment fostered by its founders. Built by ?Abd al-Rahman III (r. 929-961), a member of the Umayyad dynasty and the first caliph of al-Andalus, the city symbolized the caliph's aspiration to rule over the Fatimid Caliphs of Ifriqiya in North Africa and the Abbasid Caliphs in Baghdad and was the site of vast cultural and artistic creation. The companion volume to an exhibition at New York University's Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, this book showcases the complex visual vocabulary of Madinat al-Zahra, which derived from diverse cultural traditions and was translated into new and unique architectural and material cultures. Thematic essays examine the history of the Islamic Caliphate in Muslim Iberia (al-Andalus), the cultural and artistic traditions of the time, and the resulting multicultural society, while shorter, object-focused chapters explore the variety of works found at the ancient site-from jewelry and ceramics to medical texts and epigraphic materials. Contributors include Maribel Fierro Bello, Gerrit Bos, Patrice Cressier, Miquel Forcada, Teresa Garulo, Tawfiq Ibrahim, Fabian Käs, Ana Labarta, Eduardo Manzano Moreno, Antonia Martínez Núñez, Jorge Elices Ocón, Mariam Rosser-Owen, Irene Montilla Torres, Antonio Vallejo Triano, and Mercè Viladrich. Distributed for the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World at New York UniversityExhibition ScheduleInstitute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York UniversityOctober 30, 2024-March 2, 2025

About the author

Eduardo Manzano Moreno is research professor at the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas in Madrid. Antonio Vallejo Triano is curator of cultural heritage for the Junta de Andalucía and has served as the director of the archaeological site of Madinat al-Zahra since 1985.

Product details

• Authors: Antonio Vallejo (EDT)/ Moreno Triano, Antonio Vallejo Moreno Triano
• Assisted by: Eduardo Manzano Moreno (Editor), Moreno Eduardo Manzano (Editor), Antonio Vallejo Triano (Editor)
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 26.11.2024
• EAN: 9780691267883
• ISBN: 978-0-691-26788-3
• No. of pages: 272
• Series: Institute for the Study of the Ancient World Exhibition Catalogs
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; European History, Spain, ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / General, ARCHITECTURE / Buildings / Religious, Medieval History, Empires & historical states, Religious buildings, European history: medieval period, middle ages, Islamic Caliphate, HISTORY / Europe / Medieval, Castles & fortifications, Architecture: religious buildings, Architecture: castles and fortifications, HISTORY / Europe / Spain