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About 71 miles away
Andalusia's soul: the huge cathedral and Giralda, the Royal Alcázar and flamenco.
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Medina Azahara
The ruins of the caliph's palace city on a hillside outside Córdoba, built in the 10th century and destroyed within a lifetime.
- Open
- Closed Mondays
- Price
- Paid; free for EU citizens
- Time Needed
- Half a day
- Address
- Carretera de Palma del Río km 5.5, 14005 CórdobaDirections
- Getting There
- The tourist shuttle bus from the center, about 20 minutes, then a shuttle from the museum up to the ruins.
Why Go
Abd al-Rahman III, who declared himself caliph, began building his palace city in 936. It was sacked in a civil war around 1010 and forgotten for centuries. Excavations have uncovered the reception hall, gardens and houses, and a museum at the entrance tells its story. A UNESCO site since 2018.
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