Ruins of Madinat al-Zahra
Sat on a breezy hillside around four miles from Córdoba, Madinat al-Zahra (“the radiant city” in Arabic) was founded in the mid-10th century by Abd al-Rahman III, the first caliph of the Al-Andalus. It was intended to be the new capital of the caliphate and its center of government, and an outward symbol of the caliph’s power. Much more than just a palace complex, the new city was a paragon of urban planning with roads, bridges, water systems, fortifications, and a variety of buildings. It was largely demolished during the civil war of 1009-1010 and was only rediscovered in the early 20th century.