Al-Hakam II's Addition to the Great Mosque of Cordoba, Mid- 10th c. A. D. (slides 8, 9) Andalusian architecture offers interesting insights into the history of the period. In the early 10th c., Abd al-Rahman III declared Andalusia a caliphate, thus challenging the divine right to rule which theoretically belonged to the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad (see historical background essay and essay by Adnan Husain). Abd al-Rahman's son, Al-Hakam II undertook a major addition to the Great Mosque of Cordoba, as a sign of his power as caliph. Most of his attention was focused on the qibla (south facing wall) and the mihrab (prayer niche) as seen in slide 9. The aisle leading directly to the prayer niche was decorated with interlacing arcades. The focus on the center aisle indicates that more developed ceremonies took place in the mosque than had been the case in earlier times. The complex interlacing arch form (as seen in slide 8) appears for the very first time in Muslim architecture in the Great Mosque of Cordoba. They will come to play a vital role in both religious and secular architecture in subsequent years in Andalusia. Back to slides