On the 22nd of Ramadan in 277 Hijri (January 7, 891 CE), the first Umayyad Caliph of Córdoba, Abd al-Rahman III was born in al-Andalus. He ruled Spain first as an Emir and later as a Caliph for around half a century (912 - 961 CE).
The reign of Abd al-Rahman III is remembered as the golden age of Muslim Spain under Umayyad rule. By re-establishing one unified Muslim state in Spain, he presided over the expansion of his capital at Cordoba. After declaring the caliphate, he had also built a massive palace complex, known as the Medina Al-Zahara.
Historians have frequently cited his reign as the height of 'convivencia', where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in harmony. Madinat al-Zahra served as the de facto capital of al-Andalus (Muslim Spain) as the heart of the administration and government was within its walls.
According to Hugh Kennedy, "It (Medina al-Zahra) had no equal in western Europe and we would probably have to look to Baghdad or Constantinople to find anything to compare it with."
The city included ceremonial reception halls, mosques, administrative and government offices, gardens, a mint, workshops, barracks, residences, and baths. During this time, Cordoba was one of the largest, wealthiest, and most cultured cities in Europe.