Concepts of Power and the Evolution of Palace Architecture in the West-Islamic Caliphate: The Upper Hall (Edificio Basilical Superior) of Madinat al-Zahra at Córdoba/Spain

• Applicant: Dr.-Ing. Heike Lehmann
• Subject Area: Architecture, Building and Construction History, Construction Research, Sustainable Building Technology
• Term: since 2019
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 422590414

The palatial city Madinat al-Zahra (near Córdoba/Spain) was founded by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III in the 10th c. CE, a few years after his claim to the caliphate and thus leadership of the entire Islamic community. The research project focuses on the architecture of the so called „Edificio Basilical Superior”, one of the two main halls in the official sector of the palace, its adjacent buildings and its system of access. The aim of the project is to examine how the architecture and the urban planning reflected the self-perception of the role of the caliph. The project will investigate the relationship between the architectural design and the spatial organisation and the court ceremony known from historic sources, and how architectural and urban concepts from the ancient, Byzantine and Islamic world were adapted and developed further. Of special interest are the new building measures and modifications effected after the shift of the caliphal seat from Córdoba to Madinat al-Zahra in the wake of administrative reforms undertaken by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III and his successors. The history of research, which goes back to the early 20th century, was reviewed in the first funding period of the DFG project and supplemented by a complete 3D survey, classical architectural drawings and studies on building fragments in the magazine of the Madinat al-Zahra Museum. The ongoing project is based on this exhaustive documentation. In addition a geophysical survey is planned to gain knowledge about predecessor buildings in the research area. Construction phases will be distinguished, building technologies studied, and spatial concepts, systems of dimension, order and proportion examined. As a research tool, an H-BIM is being developed to allow the merge of all data, the differentiation of building phases and the separation of modern additions from the historic building record, as well as the examination of alternative hypotheses on the original appearance of the building. The results of this research will contribute to the understanding of the caliphal city Madinat al-Zahra as a whole as well as to the history of knowledge of the early medieval period. Concepts of power and rulership and their representation in the early medieval society will be analysed from an architectural point of view. During the course of the project, preliminary findings will be discussed in interdisciplinary research groups, presented at conferences and published in scientific journals. All obtained data will be stored in a sustainable manner within the systems of the German Archaeological Institute and of the Madinat al-Zahra Museum. The results will thus be preserved on a long term basis and will be available for future research. The final results of the project will be published as a monographic volume and will be incorporated into the public presentation of the world cultural heritage site.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: Spain
• Cooperation Partners: Dr.-Ing. Felix Arnold; María del Carmen Rodríguez Sanchez; Dr. Antonio Vallejo Triano