The Sack of the Al-Andalus Madinat
The ruined city of Madinat al-Zahra [1] (940-1013) is worth visiting notably for what one doesn’t see. Alike the antic city of Troy, Madinat’s ruins were lost for centuries and, at least for the time being, its legend is more impressive than its ruins. A decade of slow restoration has kept Madinat’s most imposing and inspiring areas off limits, leaving many visitors frustrated. Although a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2018, the city remains off the main Andalusia tourism circuit. A blessing, actually. The walled city-palace is located a stone throw away from the city of Cordoba. Cordoba was the center of power and, the de facto the capital of Al-Andalus, the Muslim-run area of the Iberian Peninsula. Madinat was the vanity project of the formidable Umayyad emir Abd al-Rahman III, who had recently appointed himself the first Caliph of Al-Andalus. In order to get away from the hassle-bustle of Cordoba, Abd al Rahma...