|
In the most elevated point of the Alcazar, is situated the residence of Caliph Abd al–Rahman III, the "Royal House", or Dar al-Mulk, that was oriented towards south, like the basilica plan rooms ("Army House", "Rich Lounge"...).
In it the caliph could contemplate the Madinat al-Zahra, the countryside, and the Guadalquivir River. The house is a platform cut in the stone with a big terrace. Nowadays this terrace is not conserved. It had also a lot of large rooms, delimitated with bedrooms and decorated with atauriques. At the end of the eastern zone there could be a bathroom.
This house is one of the best places where there are subsequent changes suffered by the original construction plans of Madinat al-Zahra. The first was to eliminate the bathroom and build new rooms. It was carried out by Caliph al-Hakam II in 972. This was done in order to create a space to educate the new prince heir Hisham II.
Another important aspect in this building is the wonderful decoration of its floors with the geometrical decoration of the limestone blocks.
Nowadays we cannot imagine how this magnificent building was because it was almost totally destroyed. Though, it is known that this building was built with two rectangular parts of stairs, because there are remains of the boot of one of them and enabled the box in front of the rocky mountain adjoining the second.
These staircases were ten meters of height and were used by the Caliph to connect the lower terrace. We can say that the Royal House was, till the construction of the rich room, the most important space of Madinat al-Zahra with its political and religious symbolism.
|
