Evidencias arqueosismológicas de la destrucción de Medina Azahara (Córdoba, España)
- M.A. Rodríguez-Pascua 1
- M.A. Perucha 1
- A.J. Montejo Córdoba 2
- P.G. Silva 3
- J.L. Giner 4
- T. Bardají 5
- J. Élez 3
- E. Roquero 6
- 1 Instituto Geológico y Minero de España (IGME)
- 2 Consejería de Cultura y Patrimonio Histórico, Junta de Andalucía
- 3 Universidad Salamanca
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4
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid
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5
Universidad de Alcalá
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6
Universidad Politécnica de Madrid
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ISSN: 1576-5172
Year of publication: 2021
Issue Title: X Congreso Geológico de España
Issue: 18
Pages: 852
Type: Article
More publications in: Geotemas (Madrid)
Abstract
The “Caliphal City of Medina Azahara” has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018. Its construction dates from the years 936-937 or 940-941 by the first Caliph of al-Andalus Abd al-Rahman III (912-961). Its abandonment and destruction is traditionally related to the civil war (fitna) initiated between the years 1009-1010. It is possible that other causes helped the rapid depopulation and plundering of the city in the second decade of the 11th century. The archaeoseis- mological study carried out on the remains of the caliphal city provides the first evidence of the possible destruction of the city by an earthquake, which would contribute to its rapid abandonment. The identified and classified EAEs are: dropped key stones in arches, conjugated fractures in bricks-made walls, conjugated fractures and folds in regular pavements, dipping broken corners in columns, and penetrative fractures in regular pavements. 160 EAEs structural measures have been taken obtaining results consistent with a mean ground direction of movement N140º-160ºE. The congruence of the orientations obtained with the geological structural analysis of the EAEs, leads us to interpret that the destruction and abandonment of Medina Azahara at the beginning of the 11th century could participate an earthquake, although there may have been other contributing causes. This work has been funded by the Spanish research Project QTECSPAIN (MINECO-FEDER CGL2015- 67169-P (USAL)). It is a contribution of the Spanish W. G. QTECT-AEQUA.