Domestic Architecture and Urban Expansion: Central Courtyard Elementary Houses in the arrabales of Córdoba (10th Century)

Abstract

In the 10th century, the arrabales of Córdoba underwent a process of rapid growth, triggered by the growing political authority of the capital of the western caliphate. This involved the urbanisation of erstwhile agricultural areas, with new streets and public buildings such as baths, mosques, and funduqs, as well as whole blocks of houses. Domestic blocks generally took the shape of lines of houses that were similar in plan. Among domestic models, which invariably revolved around a courtyard, the most basic type—rectangular in plan, with a central courtyard and a bay on either side—was also the most numerous. This work examines the characteristics and expansions of these buildings, in order to better understand the process that led to the crystallisation of Andalusi urban fabrics.