Date： Wednesday, January 30th, 16:00 – 18:00

Venue： Main Conference Room, 3rd floor, Institute for Advanced Studies on Asia,The University of Tokyo

Speaker： Dr.Felix Arnold (Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Madrid, Senior Researcher)

Title： Madinat al-Zahra (Córdoba, Spain): Recent discoveries in the caliphal city

Abstract：
“Madinat al-Zahra (Córdoba, Spain): Recent discoveries”
Madinat al-Zahra was founded in 936 CE near Córdoba (Spain) as the capital of the Umayyad caliphate. Abandoned already in the early 11th century, the city is today one of the most important archaeological sites of the Islamic culture in the Western Mediterranean region and since 2018 a World Heritage site. The German Archaeological Institute and the Junta de Andalucía are currently conducting a joint five year project that focuses on the investigation of the so called Plaza de Armas. The 115 m wide and 150 m long plaza was located in front of the palace gate. In 2017 a great portico was documented which constituted the façade of the caliphal palace. This year, an administrative complex was discovered on the opposite side of the plaza, including a reception hall constructed on a platform. The hall appears to have been designed according to Abbasid prototypes and highlights the Abbasid influence on the architecture of Madinat al-Zahra. A large scale geomagnetic survey has furthermore revealed detailed information on the design of the palace garden. In the lecture, Felix Arnold will present the results of the recent excavations and present an overview of the development of Madinat al-Zahra over time.

Language： English

Co-organizers：
東京大学東洋文化研究所班研究「イスラーム美術の諸相」（http://www.ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/project/group/group.php?id=W-5）
平成30–34年度 文部科学省科学研究費補助金 新学術領域研究（研究領域提案型）『都市文明の本質：古代西アジアにおける都市の発生と変容の学際的研究』研究項目C01「中世～現代の西アジア都市」計画研究5「中世から近代の西アジア・イスラーム都市の構造に関する歴史学的研究」（http://rcwasia.hass.tsukuba.ac.jp/city/projects/c01.html）

Contact：masuya(at)ioc.u-tokyo.ac.jp