Medina Azahara or Madinat al-Zahra is an Islamic city having a 112-hectares surface. Its construction was comissioned by the first caliph of la-Andalus, better known as Abd al-Rahman III, in the year 936 or 940 AD, due to a political, economic and ideological program beginning after the creation of the caliphate. This place was used as personal residence and also as the seat for this government. Meanwhile its court area was used for presentations of houses belonging to the most important dignitaries as well as the set of state-run administrative agencies, which were lately moved from Cordoba.
During the reigns of the leaders Abd al-Rahman III and al-Hakam II, this city turned into the capital city of al-Andalus, from where the ambassadors passed along, proceeding from the Mediterranean countries and from the ones belonging to the current Central Europe. During 1010 and 1013 AD, Madinat al-Zahra is considered to be one of the peaks of the Islamic art, either for its structure and the urban disposition or the diversity of its building materials, as well as some used architectural answers and the extraordinary richness and quality of its decorative programs.
In the archeological complex we can find the following buildings:
Rich Room or the Room of Abderraman III: It was used as a reception for important embassies, as well as for annual celebrations concerning the blessed fasting and sacrifices. All took place in Medina Azahara from
