Al-Madinat al-Zahira

Madinat al-Zâhira (English: "The resplendent city") was the fortified palace-city and residence of Almanzor, the vizier of Hisham II, and his sons, who effectively ruled the Caliphate of Córdoba from 978 to 1009. Constructed to the east of Córdoba, the city was intended to rival and undermine the authority of the caliph by competing with Madinat al-Zahra, the caliph's palatine city to the west. Fortified to withstand potential uprisings or attacks from the caliph, Madinat al-Zâhira was established around 975 and foreshadowed the Andalusian civil war, which led to its destruction in 1011 and contributed to the collapse of the caliphate in 1031. Despite extensive historical references, the precise location of the city remains undiscovered, though credible hypotheses have emerged.

Archaeological site data from Wikidata (CC0). Summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).