Madinat al-Zahra
The Radiant Capital of Islamic Spain
Eduardo Manzano Moreno editor Antonio Vallejo Triano editor
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Princeton University Press
Publishing:7th Jan '25
£45.00
This title is due to be published on 7th January, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
A beautifully illustrated exploration of the famed palace-city that was once the heart of Islamic Spain
Madinat 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 ʿAbd 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 Nour Ammari, Maribel Fierro Bello, Gerrit Bos, Roberta Casagrande-Kim, Patrice Cressier, Miquel Forcada, Teresa Garulo, 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 University
Exhibition Schedule
Institute for the Study of the Ancient World, New York University
October 30, 2024–March 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780691267883
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
272 pages