Aljaferia Palace: Architecture and History of the Taifa Kingdom
Aljaferia Palace: Architectural Features
The top of the arch has no scrolls but features lobed arches. The arches at the bottom allow access to the Throne Room. We see mixtilinear arches, a novelty of the Taifa kingdoms, originating from Tunisia. There is a prolongation of the branches from the arches. A horseshoe arch at the top is supported by paired columns. Medallions are placed at the corners of the arch panels around the arcade.
Throne Room Characteristics
The Throne Room loses depth, reflecting the diminished political power of the Caliphs. It communicates with two small square rooms, reminiscent of Madinat al-Zahara. The roof is flat and made of wood.
The Oratory
The Oratory is well-preserved and situated at the bottom of the transverse space. The floor is small, polygonal, and octagonal. A mihrab is located in the southeast. The Oratory is accessed through a large lobed arch. The facade of the chapel has been rebuilt, linking it to caliphal models.
Oratory Facade
It consists of a horseshoe arch, framed by arch panels and a frieze of blind arches, which create cross-pointed horseshoe arches. Above is another alfiz panel with Kufic inscriptions. New features include the horseshoe arch with a snake-shaped abutment. The entire soffit of the arch has roll modillions placed side by side, forming a scalloped arch, a precursor to the angrelado arch of the Nasrid period. The entire facade is covered with carved stucco decoration and plasterwork.
Inside the Oratory
The upper part is not preserved. The gallery and roof have been rebuilt. The dome-shaped Caliphate vaults have joined arches through the keys, forming a 12-pointed star. The webs could be fixed. There was a floor for women, separated by a lattice.
Most of the original remains are at the bottom, showing eight mixtilinear fillings decorated by a blind arch supported by columns, whose keys are prolonged into branches that connect to each other. There is an overabundance of decoration, with acanthus carved in stucco, very variegated, giving a sense of luxury and lavishness.
Seven of the fillings are decorated with arches, and the eighth gives way to the mihrab housing that opens into a facade, similar to Cordoba. The double arch is supported on columns. The dowels are smooth, while others have external plating. Galloned medallions appear in the corners of the arch panels. The band of Kufic epigraphy is florida, a derivation in which the apices of the spellings end in plant forms. The second inscription extends around the perimeter of the chapel, covered by a gallon vault. It is related to the ivory pyxis.
10th Century Kingdom of Toledo
In the Zocodover area, a fortress of a military and palatine nature is preserved, along with the Mosque and the residence of Al-Mamum, who had his palace in the Alficem area. While there was a transformation of the city, there are no visible traces except for the Bethlehem Chapel, located inside the Convent of Santa Fe (near the Museum of Santa Cruz).
Bethlehem Chapel
This monastery was founded during the time of Ferdinand and Isabella in the 15th century. Within it, there is an octagonal structure covered by a Caliphate vault, suggesting a palatine chapel character. It is likely that it was previously part of a palace, specifically a private oratory. The vault was later modified with paintings, but the base dates back to the Taifa period, 11th century, with a Caliphate vault.