Works of Abd al-Rahman III, the first Caliph of Córdoba

Although his construction activity focused on the palatine city of Medina Azahara, the first Umayyad caliph, Abd al-Rahman III (912–961), did not neglect the Great Mosque of Córdoba, with his efforts highlighted in two aspects: the renovation of the retaining wall of the courtyard façade and the construction of the new minaret.

The Minaret of Abd al-Rahman III

The old minaret of Hisham I was demolished in the year 951, and the new one was inaugurated in 952, although some authors suggest an earlier date, 946. The minaret, whose structure is preserved within the Bell Tower of today’s Cathedral of Córdoba, was built with ashlar masonry using stretcher and header technique. It was a square-based prism approximately 8.5 m per side, with a built height of around 47 m. The construction was topped by the yamur, a mast adorned with three large decreasing spheres of gold and silver and other smaller ones, crowned with a fleur-de-lis and a small golden pomegranate. The elevation of the minaret featured two levels, the first being taller and ending in a crenellated terrace, and the upper one narrower and covered with a hemispherical dome.

In the first level, there were two tiers of windows with horseshoe arches over columns—twin windows on the main faces and triple windows on the sides; the upper third of each side featured a frieze of blind arches. The upper section was used by the muezzins, who called the faithful to prayer, and had a horseshoe-arched doorway on each side. The interior space was divided into two halves by a wall running the full height of the main body, creating two independent stairwells—one accessed from the courtyard and the other from the street.

This double staircase, a unique feature of the Cordoban minaret, was seen by Arab chroniclers of the time as a sign of the quality of its construction. It can be interpreted as a way to highlight the superiority and legitimacy of the Cordoban Umayyad caliph over the Abbasid caliphate of Baghdad. However, Félix Hernández attributed the form of Abd al-Rahman III’s minaret to the limited skill of the architect in charge, who had to complete a much larger tower than Hisham I’s in just 13 months, managing the interior layout as best he could.

The Renovation of the Prayer Hall Façade

The renovation of the prayer hall façade was completed in the year 958, with the project overseen by the freedman Abd Allah Ibn Badr, as documented in the inscription on the Arch of Blessings, the door leading to the central nave. This renovation was prompted by the loss of vertical alignment in the courtyard wall of the Mosque, which was being pushed outward by the pressure from the interior arches. A thick wall acting as a buttress was added across its entire front, pierced by 11 horseshoe arches similar to those previously existing in this area. These arches were supported by marble columns with caliphal-era acanthus leaf capitals, an abstraction of the classical world, whether Corinthian or Composite in style.

The wall, fully coated in stucco, was decorated with geometric mosaic patterns alternating two colors: white and red. Some remnants of this decoration still survive. The façade was topped with a projecting eave supported by corbels, which were originally roll-molded modillions adorned with bands of vegetal or geometric motifs carved in plaster. The entire structure, including the arches, has undergone modifications: the latticework closing the western arches to the courtyard was designed by architect Rafael de la Hoz Arderius (1924–2000) in 1972, and the incongruous glasswork next to the arch of the gallery was installed in 2001.

What to Visit in Córdoba

If you’re wondering what to visit in Córdoba, the best choice would be the Mezquita-Cathedral, by choosing one of our guided tours. This way, you’ll learn everything you need to know about the works carried out by Abd al-Rahman III on the building. Choosing quality tourism means choosing ArtenCórdoba.

Text: Jesús Pijuán.