On our way to Córdoba we stopped in a place called Madinat al-Zahra. It was at one point the capital of Muslim Spain. The capital had been Córdoba, where they were building the Mosque, and where the mosque had been expanded on numerous times. Abd al-Rahman III build the city in just 40 years, as it is only a few km away from Córdoba, and it was at one point an incredibly beautiful statement of power. It was a city just for the royal family and subjects. It is now ruins, as you can see in the photo above, but pretty awesome ruins. They had a pool of mercury sitting in front of the throne that a slave would stir when visitors came so that the architecture, gold, etc. would reflect and dance around the room and strike awe into visitors. There was also a mosque there, baths, and only one protective wall because the other side of the city is a mountain.
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