Archaeological research on Madīnat Ilbīra- An Umayyad town in al-Andalus. Course and problems

Abstract

Madīnat Ilbīra was one of the most splendid towns in Muslim al-Andalus and the centre of one of administrative units (the kūra of Ilbīra) of the Caliphate of Cόrdoba. Already in the Middle Ages the town was depopulated and fell into ruin. In 2001-2011 and 2016-2019 two archaeological research projects have been conducted to confirm the location of remains of Madīnat Ilbīra at the foot of the Sierra Elvira mountains, as well as to solve the main problems related to its history. The paper presents the crucial achievements of archaeology, confronted with written records. The authors formulate hypotheses concerning origin and chronology of the town, its spatial arrangement, social topography, and also religious structure of the inhabitants. One of the important issue is also the problem of the fall of Madīnat Ilbīra and relocation of the economic centre of the region to the city of Granada.