(slide 22) The official end of the Caliphate with its capital in Cordoba came in 1031 A. D. However, the process of disintegration began earlier. Throughout Andalusia, regional leaders became increasingly powerful, establishing their own smaller kingdoms. Sometimes, these leaders were of a different national origin than the people they ruled. Some, for example, were descendants of the North African Berbers who had come to Andalusia during the original Muslim invasions. Some of the locals resisted their rule. With a diminishing central authority in Andalusia, the social organization changed. The relationship between the taifa kings and the locals depended largely on direct obligations and loyalties. The changing political situation is reflected in the architecture of this period. Slide 22 shows a palace in Malaga called the Alcazaba. It is typical of the palaces built in the 11th c., in that it is more like a fortress. Its heavy fortress-like walls became the norm for Andalusian palaces. The more compact architecture also reflects the shrinking territory under rule by each taifa king. It is interesting to compare these structures to the large open palaces of the Caliphate period, such as the Madinat al-Zahra. Back to slides