Publication Date
Emirate of Abd al-Rahman II (207 – 238 / 822 – 852)
Publication Place
-
National Archaeological Museum
Subject
Carved marble.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 48 سم؛ العرض: 77 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
50369
Record ID
object;ISL;es;Mus01;13;ar
Library Location
National Archaeological Museum
Date
Emirate of Abd al-Rahman II (207 – 238 / 822 – 852)
Notes
This carved marble panel is framed by a classical-section slanting overhang. Shown below are three horseshoe-shaped arches resting on twisted columns with bases and capitals decorated with spiral decoration. Each arch embraces a different branch with representations of the lotus theme which we can interpret as a sanctuary or the tree of life; Flowers of this type also emerge in the recesses of the arches. On the bas-reliefs of the capitals, an inscription in Kufic letters gives the name “Karim, Abduh”, which has been interpreted as Abd al-Karim, master builder during the reign of Abd al-Rahman II. This decorative panel was obtained from the ancient Umayyad palace of Cordoba, which was the residence of the Umayyads until the construction of Medina al-Zahra. This controversial palace, which was built on top of an old Gothic palace, occupied a wide wall enclosure inside which there were various buildings. Abd al-Rahman I expanded it, Abd al-Rahman II decorated it, and provided it with water channels. Some of his successors added new monuments to it. During the Christian reconquest by the soldiers of Saint Ferdinand III in AH 634 / AD 1236, the city of Cordoba still maintained the palace, above the site of the current episcopal palace and the school of Saint Pelage. The palace survived until the middle of the fourteenth century, but only a few ruins remain of it.
Sample Text
Margarita Sánchez Llorente “Painting” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;es;Mus01;13;ar
