Global Treasures: Madinah Al-Zahra

Television Director: Ullman, Frank

Producer: Scarson, Peter O.

---

Catalogue Number: GTR-DVD-1163

UPC: 879061007620

---

Global Treasures - History's Most Protected Monuments - Heritage is our legacy from the past, what we live today, and what we pass on to future generations. Our cultural and natural heritage are both irreplaceable sources of life and inspiration. Places as unique and diverse as the wilds of East Africa's Serengeti, the Pyramids of Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Baroque cathedrals of Latin America make up our world's heritage. Join us as we explore one of these protected monuments.

A few kilometres outside of the city of Cordoba in southern Spain lie the remains of a once legendary Moorish palace district, the Madinah Al-Zahra.

It is believed that in around 936 AD, the Moorish monarch Abd Ar-Rahman III ordered the construction of the huge residence. Work on the palace, the administrative sections and the gardens took more than 40 years to complete.

Over 10,000 workmen were involved in its construction, but today little of the former splendor of this "Andalusian Versailles" is apparent as only the mighty ruins of the former terraced palace have survived to the present day.

Thanks to the intensive restoration and reconstruction work of recent years, the buildings of the former Reception Hall provide a fascinating insight into the royal court of the Moors. The Salon of Abd Ar-Rahman III shines out once again in all of its ancient and glorious splendour.

Soon after its completion, the Madinah Al-Zahra was described as a "wonder of the western hemisphere," a fairytale synthesis of the arts located upon the picturesque southern slopes of the Sierra Morena.