La Calahorra, o el puente fortificado de Córdoba en Época Califal

Abstract

The Calahorra fortress, which is situated at the head of Cordoba’s principal bridge, is a complex building which was subject to successive additions and reforms throughout the medieval ages. Our study will define the elements of the earliest phase. After we present the traditional interpretations, we propose what we believe to be the construction date, in the caliphal period. To confirm our hypothesis, we consider the archaeological analysis of the arch and the caliphal masonry of the walls of the cordoban fortress and we compare it with other similar examples, which although they are no longer in existence, survive in a wide range of written and graphic evidence. The coinciding features of these examples permit us to conclude that there was a general stereotype of fortified bridge in the final years of the caliphate, under the effective rule of Almanzor.