Medina Azahara

SPAIN

The site of a city built in the mid-10th century by the Umayyad dynasty as the seat of the Caliphate of Cordoba. It was laid to waste during the civil war that put an end to the caliphate in 1009-10. The remains were forgotten until their rediscovery early last century. With roads, bridges, water systems and buildings, the site provides great insight into the now vanished Western Islamic civilisation of Al-Andalus.