Spolia and Umayyad Mosques

Abstract

The use of Roman and Late-antique spolia in the erection of Umayyad infrastructures is extensively documented, from Bilad al-Sham to al-Andalus. Particularly in the latter, spolia were key in the construction of mosques, of which the Friday Mosque of Córdoba is the most paradigmatic example. The reuse of decorative and architectural materials in these religious spaces has been broadly discussed, and it has been often concluded that there were aesthetic, religious and ideological reasons, as well as strong political needs of legitimation and representation of the Umayyad dynasty. In this context, the case of the mosque of Madinat al-Zahra' is quite striking. Here, while spolia seem to have been absent, the capitals designed for its prayer room stand out for their particular characteristics, often described as resembling Visigothic models and as a product of rush. This paper aims to bring together the information available about the use of spolia in Umayyad mosques and its possible explanations, as well as to bring forward the particularities of the series of capitals designed for the mosque of Madinat al-Zahra', suggesting new ideas for their interpretation.

Religious Buildings in Early al-Andalus: Origins, Consolidation and Prevalence in Urban Contexts

“…The most iconic Umayyad mosques located in these areas, both Friday ones and the ones belonging to quṣ ūr, counted on spolia dating from Classical and Late Antique times-Jerusalem, Damascus, Aleppo, al-Bakhra', Qasr al Hayr al-Sharqi, Qayrawan or Córdoba, just to quote a few of them (see Guidetti 2016, pp. 97-132;Genequand 2012;Souto 2009;González Gutiérrez 2022). This reuse of materials has been often interpreted as proof of the need for building materialsand particularly marble pieces-to design these new monuments.…”

“…These complex tasks were surely expensive and required the existence of specialized workforce and, specially, of an authority in charge of monitoring and directing the whole process. Considering this, the large scale of the use of spolia phenomenon, which was not an isolated practice, is only well explained when inserted into the policies of legitimization and Islamization developed by the authorities (the Umayyad caliphs in the East first, and the Umayyad emirs in al-Andalus later, see González Gutiérrez 2022). By using and displaying these rich materials they aimed to connect themselves with previous imperial traditions, as well as to fulfil their desire and necessity to show and demonstrate their power and prestige in the new conquered places.…”