Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;es;Mon01;12;ar
Library Location
Toledo, Spain
Notes
The ancient gate of Byzagra, Bibzagra or “Bab al-Saghra”, is the only gate dating back to the Islamic period whose structure has been preserved in a relatively original state because it was undoubtedly blocked when the city was modified. Documents indicate the existence of this door since the beginning of the fifth century / eleventh century. The first reference dates back to the year 400 / 1009 - 1010. It was later referred to in multiple documents, from which we know the existence of transactions and privileges for performance. It was the obligatory place of passage in order to enter the cemetery located outside the walls, and one of the most profitable points of performance in the city in terms of its connection to the movement of goods. The door represents an expansion of the fortified wall fence towards the north. As for its external facade, it shows the entrance recessed due to the protrusion of the wall fence. This entrance, which consists of two reconstructed towers in the upper part, supports a wall in which a transcendent arch opens with a niche. The distance between its jambs is two and a half metres, and the exact diameter of the arch is 5.40 metres. The transverse arch is extended by three-fifths of the beam with the vertebra stones co-directed towards the line of the pads; The arch is radial up to the height of the flanks, where the familiar small triangular pillars appear that form the beginning of the arrangement of the stones on the back of the radial arch, but not the interior. The necklace is also framed with an Alvis, the upper part of which is 6.58 meters high. The vertebrae are composed of reused stones, the arches are highlighted by the uneven scales of their pieces, as well as the limestone that retains a vegetal form from the Gothic period at the key level. The key to the dome is made of a recovered white stone and is decorated with incisive circles of a similar style. At the level of the pallets, above the huge, single-stone, string-like lintel, and up to the inside of the arch, there was paving, probably of brick. As for the upper part, which contains small columns in its corners, as is the case with the internal organization of the door, it dates back to the Mudéjar period in terms of architectural style, which dates back to the 7th / 13th century. During the cleaning and restoration work that took place in 1907 in the tower located to the left, the secret door, or a small door, was discovered that was absurdly blocked, but it shows pictures from that period. Its primary use is not known because it greatly reduces the defensive effectiveness of the contract. The director of the restoration works, Ricardo Arredondo, thought that the small door constituted one of the traps preventing the besiegers from seizing the door in order to enter the city; He built the side façade and the rear crossing arch on the side of the city, following the designs of the initial gate. This restoration enabled the recovery of an important door from a structural and historical standpoint, which had been threatened with collapse.
Sample Text
Ángela Franco “Old Gate of Bizagra” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;es;Mon01;12;ar
