A History of Two Cities

Between 971 and 975 al-Ḥakam II divided his time between Madīnat al-Zahrā’ and Córdoba. While the city palace was the caliph's main residence, he also spent lengthy periods at the alcázar in Córdoba, travelling frequently between the two places, which were just over five kilometres apart. All the evidence indicates that the sovereign chose to maintain a dual capital, and this is confirmed by ‘Īsā al-Rāzī, who refers to the existence of two capitals (ḥaḍiratayn), both of which had its own ṣāḥib al-madīna and Friday mosque with its prayer leader. However, no qāḍī seems to have been appointed to al-Zahrā’, which demonstrates how the caliph's urban project in the new capital had still not attained its definitive form.

Al-Ḥakam II's continual comings and goings between the two cities came to a brusque end in late November 974 when he suffered a stroke while at Madīnat al-Zahrā’, which meant he had to withdraw from court life and state affairs until mid-January. He remained at the palace-city throughout the winter, which brought snow and strong winds. Then, at the end of March 975, the doctors instructed that he should be transferred to Córdoba, ‘due to his excessive exposure to the cold of the mountains, which they thought would disturb the balance of his humours’. Leaving Madīnat al-Zahrā’, described by the chronicler ‘Īsā al-Rāzī as the ‘lady of palaces, mansion of pleasure and seat of joy’, must have been a very difficult decision. The caliph consulted God and chose to follow the doctors’ advice. According to our author, al-Ḥakam did this ‘not out of hatred, but to take better care of his poor health … so it is, at times, that beauty is disowned albeit not through any fault of her own’. Al-Rāzīʼs words offer an example of the ‘symbolic feminization of place’, a trope Andalusi authors repeatedly made recourse to when referring to topographical landmarks identified with caliphal power.