Southern Spain # 2: "Medina Azahara, the Pearl of the West"

In century IX a.c. caliph Abd ar-Rahman ibn Muhammad reigned in Cordoba. During his reign he was able to turn Cordoba into a respected city known as "the Pearl of the West". It is assumed that the other Cordovan would "lend a hand," but the merit has been left for him. The interesting thing is that during its reign he ordered to build a palace-city: Medina Azahara. The magnificence and ostentation present in Medina Azahara were such that it is still known of them.





Apparently, Medina Azahara was modeled after Damascus, thus forming a symbolic link between east and west. Being located to only about 8 kilometers of Cordoba and before such presentation, it is difficult to avoid his visit.








Practical information:

There are basically 4 options to visit the ruins of the city of Medina Azahara:

1. Hire a group guided tour from Cordoba:
   There is a bus that travels daily to Medina Azahara from Cordoba, which includes the shuttle bus service from the Reception Center to the entrance of the Archaeological Complex.
   DURATION: 3 hours approx.
   PRICE: € 25
2. Go on your own to Medina Azahara and hire a group guided tour from there
   DURATION: 2 hours approx.
   LANGUAGES AVAILABLE: Spanish and English.
   INCLUDES: The entrance to the site, the official guide service and the shuttle bus.
   PRICE: € 16
3. Go on your own and hire a private tour Private tour of Medina Azahara
   DURATION: 4 hours approx.
   PRICE:
   Price of the visit for the group / service (up to 30 people): € 205
   o The price of this type of visit will be € 254 on Saturdays and Holidays. For more than 30 people consult rate.

• It will be necessary to have cash (2,10 €) for the internal shuttle bus of Medina Azahara. Entries: EU citizens. Free. Rest 1,50 €

1. Go to Medina Azahara on your own and do not hire any guide.
   In this case the entrance is free for EU residents (other nationalities € 1.50), but € 2.10 (children 5-12 years old: € 1.50) must be paid for a LANZADERA service from the Reception Center at the entrance to the Archaeological Complex. It is not clear to me if it is allowed to walk (I think not).
   Average temperatures in Medina Azahara:
   

Source : www.accuweather.com

As can be seen in the graph the temperatures reached in Medina Azahara in summer are above 30 degrees, so considering that the ruins are in full sun, it is not at all advisable to visit them in the central hours of the day. The archaeological complex includes a museum, so a recommended option is to visit the ruins early in the morning and then the museum. Visiting Medina Azahara in summer and later at 11 in the morning can be quite tough!

The ruins of the archaeological complex of Medina Azahara are ... ruins. The good news is that you will probably be seeing the original ruins and not a replica, something that does not always happen. The counterpart is that it takes and effort to be able to imagine a palatial city that one day was and enjoy the visit, especially if it is not accompanied by a guide. I guess with a guide it is also necessary the imagination.

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I hope you liked the post and that it is useful if you visit Medina Azahara.