City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 5-2018 Transformations: Suburban Cordoba During the Umayyad Caliphate, 929-1009 Carmen M. Tagle The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2630 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Transformations: Suburban Cordoba during the Umayyad Caliphate 929-1009 by CARMEN MARIA TAGLE A master’s thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Liberal Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, The City University of New York 2018 © 2018 CARMEN MARIA TAGLE All Rights Reserved ii Transformations: Suburban Cordoba during the Umayyad Caliphate 929-1009 by Carmen Maria Tagle This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Liberal Studies in satisfaction of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Arts. Date Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis Thesis Advisor Date Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis Executive Officer THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii Transformations: Suburban Cordoba during the Umayyad Caliphate 929-1009 by Carmen Maria Tagle Advisor: Dr. Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis It has been noted how long it took for the Muslim presence in Iberia, starting in 711 BCE, to materialize into significant works of architecture. The continuous military campaigns, necessary to consolidate control of the Peninsula, were undertaken by a relatively small group of incoming Arab and Berber troops. This naturally limited the potential scope of construction to repairs of the Hispano-Roman infrastructure found in the conquered areas, mainly in the middle and the South of the Iberian Peninsula. The old walled city of Cordoba, locale of Roman and Visigoth rulers, served as the capital of the new emirate, with the reuse of its existing structures, bridge, walls, palaces, etc. It would ultimately be the political stability and economic prosperity of tenth-century al-Andalus1 that would allow Abd al-Rahman III to declare himself Caliph in 929 CE and be able to undertake original architectural projects that would epitomize the centralization of his power and the legitimacy of his rulership. The development of the Cordoba suburbs, where a firmament of munyas, or residential villas, was already being built for affluent patrons in the Guadalquivir valley, was the prelude to the creation of the royal palatial city of Madinat al-Zahra, a large multi-use complex sited at the foothills of the Sierra Morena that would, for a brief moment from its inception in 941 CE until its destruction by fundamentalist Almohad troops in 1009 CE, serve as a center of power, administration and advancement of culture for the Cordoba Caliphate. 1 al-Andalus: Arabic name given to the geographical area of the Iberian Peninsula that came under Muslim control in the Middle Ages, from 711 CE to 1492 CE. The Oxford Dictionary of the Middle Ages, edited by Robert E. Bjork. Oxford University Press, 2010. www.oxfordreference.com iv The Umayyads brought their own Syrian traditions to Iberia. Yet the Muslim conquest of Iberia involved not only the Arabization of the local population, but also, the “Iberization” of the newcomers. Abd al-Rahman III had inherited the blond hair and blue eyes of his Christian mother. This physical fusion was symbolic of the population in al-Andalus: outwardly and culturally Arabic yet fundamentally more complex. This study will focus on the architectural and site planning developments of Suburban Cordoba during the reigns of Abd al-Rahman III (756–929 CE) and his son, al-Hakam II (912–961 CE). It will address how the architecture and planning of their new buildings combined Umayyad Syrian tradition with Roman classical concepts and local Visigoth methods and materials, adapting them to the specific characteristics of the new land they conquered while also incorporating features of contemporary Persian and Abbasid ceremonial culture. The innovations included not only construction techniques and decorative styles, but more importantly, new concepts in the planning of the buildings and the relationship of their interior and exterior spaces, reflecting the evolving concepts of sovereignty and legitimacy of the Cordoba Caliphate and the unusual nature of its court. v Acknowledgements Thanks to my advisor, Professor Elizabeth Macaulay-Lewis, for helping me fall in love with Architecture all over again, this time incorporating the political ideas behind the forms. I am also indebted to Professor Anna Akasoy, for the opportunity to research and write papers on many subjects leading up to this thesis. This work would not have been possible without the support of Alan Rose who, not only accompanied me to Madinat al-Zahra and the Cordoba Valley, but also constantly rescued me with his technical support and continuous encouragement. I am also grateful to our son Ariel, who cheered me on along the way and eagerly read and objectively commented on my papers. Projects start with inspiration. The first seed was provided by my mother, who first took me to Andalucia at the age of five and then again in 2003 during our last trip together. And thanks to Graciela Mirabete, whose love of Spain continues to inspire me. vi Table of Contents Title Page............................................................................................................................................. i Copyright Page ................................................................................................................................... ii Approval Page ................................................................................................................................... iii Thesis Abstract .................................................................................................................................. iv Acknowledgements ........................................................................................................................... vi Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................. vii List of Figures.................................................................................................................................. viii Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter I- In the Beginning: Precedents in the Cordoba Valley. Qartoba........................................................................................................................................... 7 Corduba.......................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter II- Transitions: From Villas to Munyas. Qurtuba and al-Yanib al-Gharbi .................................................................................................. 21 Examples of Munya Architecture................................................................................................. 25 The Significance of Water............................................................................................................ 28 Miradores .................................................................................................................................... 29 Munya Patronage .......................................................................................................................... 30 Munya Decoration ........................................................................................................................ 33 Evolution of Munya Functions ..................................................................................................... 34 From Emirate to Caliphate ........................................................................................................... 35 Chapter III- Madinat al-Zahra: Evolution of the Islamic Polity in al-Andalus. Building and Siting of the New City ............................................................................................ 39 Madinat al-Zahra Within the Landscape ..................................................................................... 42 The Urban Structure ..................................................................................................................... 43 The Ceremonial Approach........................................................................................................... 45 The Royal Residences .................................................................................................................. 48 Intellectual Spaces ........................................................................................................................ 49 Building Materials ........................................................................................................................ 54 Significance of Decorative Motifs................................................................................................ 57 Luxury Objects Complementing the Buildings............................................................................ 60 Chapter IV: Transformations and Conclusion.................................................................................