Remarques sur le fonctionnement d’une capitale a double polarite: Madīnat al-zahrā’-cordoue

Abstract

Between 936 and 941, ‛Abd al-Raḥmān III founded a new town, Madīnat al-Zahrā’, built near Cordova. What role did each of these towns play in the administration of the Umayyad State? The abundant references of Arab chroniclers and archeological remains shed ligth on the simultaneous management of both towns, in what constitutes an illuminating example of a capital city with a dual seat. Cordova and Madīnat al-Zahrā’ operate as two independent urban nuclei, each with its own administration; at the same time, however, both towns, each performing administrative functions assigned by the caliph, operate as a single unit, the overall capital city of al-Andalus.