PROJECT GROUP 3

THE CALIPHATE OF CÓRDOBA

- Who governed in this period?

The Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba or Western Caliphate was an Andalusian Muslim

state with its capital in Córdoba. In 756, Abderraman I founded a dynasty and
transformed al-Andalus into an independent and structured state, and in 929
Abderraman III proclaimed himself Caliph.

The reigns of Abderraman III (929-961) and his son Alhaken II (961-976) constitute the
period of the heyday of the Umayyad Caliphate, during which the Cordoban state
apparatus was consolidated.

- Why did this period see change?

Why did this period see change? The Caliphate put an end to the independent emirate
established by Abderraman I in 756 and lasted officially until 1031, when it was
abolished, giving rise to the fragmentation of the Umayyad state into a multitude of
kingdoms known as taifas. On the other hand, the period of the Caliphate of Córdoba
was the period of maximum political, cultural and commercial splendour of Al-Andalus,
although it was also intense in some of the Taifa kingdoms.

- What happens to cause this change?

What happens to cause this change? In 929 he challenged the religious authority of the
rival Fatimid and Abbasid dynasties and proclaimed himself caliph. The caliphate
period (929-961) was the most brilliant of his reign: he succeeded in subjugating the
border marks to his authority, defeating the Fatimids in the Maghreb on several
occasions, although not eliminating this threat, and dominating the Christian states in
the north of the peninsula, despite military setbacks, especially the serious defeat at
Simancas. The caliphate, which became an important state at the end of Abderraman's
reign, maintained diplomatic relations with the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman
Empire.

- Was there a war, conflict or a battle?

 Yes, there was. The Battle of Valdejunquera was a battle fought on 26 July 920
between the army of the Cordovan emir Abderramán III and the joint forces of the kings
Ordoño II of León and Sancho Garcés I of Pamplona, which took place in the fortress of
Muez in the Junquera valley, located some 25 km southwest of Pamplona. And The
Battle of Simancas which was a military confrontation between the troops of a Christian
coalition led by the King of León, Ramiro II, and the Muslims settled in Córdoba under
the Caliph Abderramán III near the walls of the city of Simancas, in which the Christian
kingdoms of the north consolidated their dominion over the lands of the Duero River in
the year 939.

In 1009, a coup d'état triggered a war. Years later, the Caliphate collapsed and
fragmented into micro-states, until, weakened, they were gradually reconquered by the
Christians. The last Muslim kingdom in Spain, the kingdom of Granada, fell in 1492.

ARCHITECTURE OF THE MOSQUE: The Mosque of Cordoba was built

between 786 and 988, from the remains of a Visigothic church. It was ordered to be
built in different phases, by different people. It is currently located in the city of
Cordoba. It is a mosque-cathedral in Islamic, Byzantine and Gothic style. It was ordered
to be built by Abderraman I, after which several reforms were carried out under the
direction of Abderraman II and Abderraman III, Al-Hakam II and Almanzor.

GUIDE TOUR
Hello everybody and welcome to our cultural trip about the mosque of
Cordoba
Before entering the mosque, if we look at the wall we can see the minaret
tower, which after the Christian conquest was converted into a bell tower.
When we enter we find the courtyard of the orange trees, in the Muslim
period, it was used in a very different way to the use given to it by the
Christians. At that time, it was used for teaching, holding trials and, of
course, as the prayer room was open to the outside, there was a greater
connection with the sacred place. With the arrival of the Christians, the
prayer hall was closed due to the opening of chapels on the north side of
the prayer hall. The fountain of St Mary is also located here.

- Did this fountain have any use?

Yes, Abderraman I was inspired by the Damascus Mosque, with the
traditional distribution in sahn (courtyard of ablutions) which is a ritual
purification of some parts of the body before some religious acts. In Islam,
water is used to purify the believer during ablutions prior to prayer or Salat.
Arriving at the most important part of the mosque, we find the quibla, the
wall of the mosque where the mihrab opens. It is perpendicular to the
direction of Mecca (east), towards which the Mohammedan faithful face
when they pray.

- Why was the mosque the largest building in Andalusian Córdoba?

In the time of Abderraman II and with the growth of the city of Cordoba, it
became necessary to enlarge the Mosque of Cordoba in order to be able to
accommodate more worshippers for Friday celebrations. This extension
began in 833 and was completed in 855.
We can also look at the ceiling of the mosque to see the amazing vaults of
the crossed ribs, also known as ribbed vaulting, which is characteristic of
Gothic architecture and is so called because it is formed by the crossing of
two pointed barrel vaults.

One of the most striking and original elements of the mosque of cordoba is
the system used to support the roofs, based on a system of double arches:
horseshoe arches supported on columns (reused from Roman buildings)
support semicircular arches that are supported on pillars. Thus, there are
23,400 square metres of mosque with 1,300 columns in its interior.
- What colours are the arches painted in?
On the arches with plain voussoirs, the painting imitated the atauriques of
the relief arches, alternating between red and blue backgrounds. The bases
and capitals of the small columns would have been gilded.