Capital

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

'Abd al-Rahman III, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic lands of southern Spain, commissioned a great palace-city in 936 (324 a.h., by the Islamic calendar). Called Madinat al-Zahra' ("shining city" in Arabic), it was located near his capital at Córdoba and included residences, reception halls, a mosque, markets and gardens. Madinat al-Zahra' was destroyed by Berbers from North Africa in 1010 (400 a.h.). Sculpture from the site was reused in medieval churches and secular buildings.

Medieval Art and The Cloisters

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Museum's collection of medieval and Byzantine art is among the most comprehensive in the world. Displayed in both The Met Fifth Avenue and in the Museum's branch in northern Manhattan, The Met Cloisters, the collection encompasses the art of the Mediterranean and Europe from the fall of Rome in the fourth century to the beginning of the Renaissance in the early sixteenth century. It also includes pre-medieval European works of art created during the Bronze Age and early Iron Age.

Metropolitan Museum of Art