Finally enter the UNESCO World Olympus
107 years have passed since the first excavations began in what was considered to be Old Cordoba (the ancient Roman city) so that it ends up rising to the most interesting Umayyad archaeological remains in the world.
Or what is the same, to find, rehabilitate and make up what was the most ambitious project of the already hungry Caliph Abd Rahman III , who decided build a place that would be a showcase for his political and religious power.
A metropolis that was ephemeral (it barely lasted 80 years before civil strife ended up devastating it), but in his short life he had time to show all the urban, architectural and artistic wisdom of this civilization.
Aerial view of Medina Azahara
This merit has been the main supporter so that, in its forty-second session, **UNESCO has inscribed it as a World Heritage Site**. After all, in recent years, this UN specialized agency had archaeology, in addition to cultural landscapes, as its main obsession.
THE CITY AS A MONUMENT
Beyond fashions and bureaucratic trends, this recognition is an act of justice with one of the archaeological sites that, with greater skill, have become a cultural project.
Its main value is that it is the place where that Cordova that came to add up to a million inhabitants would be rethought from scratch. Or rather, where condense all its power in the form of a smart city , located.
That is to say, a monument is not rewarded, even though the Great Porch or the Rich Hall is a complete sample of the constructive and decorative virtuosity of Al Andalus. A city built from scratch is recognized, planned under the concepts of the city of the time and built in order to hold the political and religious power of a new empire, what makes it unique in the world.
It has allowed us to discover what was the idea of capital that the Umayyads had in mind
His model was conceived from north to south, from the top of a hillside where the Sierra Morena stands to the banks of the Guadalquivir, divided into three zones according to height: the predominant caliphal, the administrative in the heart of everything and housing in the lower part. And all these parts are connected by a very advanced system of streets and bridges as well as by the well-known and exemplary Umayyad irrigation system.
In short, the inclusion of Medina Azahara in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites means to focus on a site that, over the years, has made it possible to discover the idea of capital that the Umayyads had in mind two centuries after his defeat at Damascus.
A modern city that did not renounce any of the aesthetic charms of its art but that he did not forget the efficiency and the needs of what was to be the heart of a new caliphate (in every sense) .
VISIT WITHOUT ENCYCLOPEDIA
It is not that UNESCO rewards the accessibility of a monument or the way in which it is displayed to the public, but in this case it could have. There are things in Spain for which it is an example, and one of them is how manages to make tourism the main promotional element for this type of candidacies and achievements. And Medina Azahara is an example of this.
Discovered in 1911 , the intermittent excavation work gradually revealed the impressive metropolis that died young.
This wonder can be visited on your own or on guided tours
However, it was still a difficult task. to place this finding together with other legacies of Andalusian art such as the Alhambra in Granada, the Mosque of Córdoba or the Reales Alcázares in Seville. However, in recent decades, the miracle has gradually become real. thanks to the dissemination work of the visits.
Currently, archaeologists and tourists coexist on the hillside without touching. The visits proposed to the site are varied: from free tour, for which the citizens of the European Union only have to pay for the shuttle bus, until the guided tours , which depart from the site or from Córdoba itself. There is no excuse.
To the cleanliness of the space, free access and the variety of ways to get to know it, we must add a fourth success factor: the museum and visitor center.
Opened in 2009, this complex is a work of art in itself since Nieto Sobejano's design achieves create a set of modern spaces that do not impact the environment. Not in vain, two of its floors are underground and the neatness of its lines makes the art and furniture of the Caliphate the true protagonists of everything.
And, also, that many lovers of contemporary architecture find an incentive to discover the past since this building managed to win the prize Aga Khan in 2010, with the Piranesi in 2011 and with the Museum of the Year Award in Europe in 2012.
It will no longer be a plus to any visit to Córdoba to become a key axis in the getaway
All this explains that last year received more than 180,000 visitors , which makes it one of the most popular deposits in Spain along with that of Ampurias or Atapuerca. For this reason, the recognition of UNESCO does not imply a 'getting the batteries' at the level of tourist infrastructures, but rather an accolade
In fact, the buzz about its inclusion in this list had caused the number of tickets sold to see Medina Azahara to grow by 12% in the first months of the year compared to the same period last year.
THE CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE
With this joy Córdoba becomes the only city in the world to have four World Heritage Sites since its Mosque-Cathedral, its Historic Center and its patios and the tradition of decorating them in May were already part of the list.
However, this high also leaves some other pending tasks. The first, continue with the outreach work on space which has made it more and more popular. The second, finish the rehabilitation works and allow everyone to enjoy the indescribable beauty of the Salón Rico in a sustainable way, still closed to the general public. And the third, get that the impact and urban pressure of the surroundings do not threaten the complex.
At least now Medina Azahara will no longer be a plus to any visit to Córdoba to become a key axis in the getaway. It already has the blessing of UNESCO, the iconic poster that gives so many joys, and a sufficiently adequate infrastructure to continue telling what was once the dream of a great ruler.
In 2017 it received more than 180,000 visitors