The Early Islamization of the Urban Topography of Cordoba

Abstract This article aims to explain the early urban transformations of Islamic Cordoba. It is based on the hypothesis that the urban landmarks that are mentioned in the accounts of the conquest of the city were conflicting elements at the time when these accounts were composed. From this perspective, the textual and archaeological data that are recognisable in the city’s topography are analysed to demonstrate that the city only began to undergo significant changes with the arrival of the Umayyad dynasty and that even then its rulers had to negotiate with the situations that had been created during the decades prior to their arrival.