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Madinat al-Zahra had a very short life: it only lasted seventy-five years. Since the beginning, the works were run by the architect Muslama ben Abd Allah, between 936 or 940. It lasted more than twenty-five years and ended with Abd al-Rahman III Period (912-961). This one gave the control of the construction to his son al-Hakam II, 961 976, who made important enlargements.
But his death meant the end of a splendid period and the beginning of its decadence that was clear at the al-Mansur's time, the first minister and dictator. Breaking the rules he set up Madinat al-Zahira, giving to Madinat al-Zahra a second role: it became the Calipha Hisham II’s Residence (976-1013).
The final of the complex is linked to the facts of the period: the Caliphate was living its end and this was related to the final of Madinat al-Zahra. Between 1010 and 1013 the complex was burgled and destroyed, though the main materials (woods, capitals, bronze, etc) were reused in other buildings by almoravids people (1090-1148) and almohads (1148-1236).
Situated at eight kilometers far away from Córdoba, west side, by the woodland, Madinat al-Zahra was built as Caliph’s Palace, as the capital of a centralized state from which the political and the administrative life was run. Its roads, canalizations for water transporting, and size, made it a city independent from the main capital.
Its measures adopted a rectangular shape: 1518 meters in the north-south side, 745 meters from northern till southern; 112 hectares of walls.
The different buildings are disposed in a terraced way with different levels. The first terrace correspond to the palace which are upper than the lower terrace, he one of the major city and the Mosque Alhama.
Nowadays only a 10% of the zone is discovered, this zone is the main zone, the central nucleus of the Alcazar (see the map on this page), where you can see two sections, that show the clear difference between the residence and the government: one public and official ,with a big reception and , on the west side one private or residential, occupied by places of work and housings belonging to people linked to the Caliphate.
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