Overview of the excavated ruins of Medina Azahara, with rows of stone walls, a decorated façade and cypress trees beyond

Córdoba · Andalusia · UNESCO World Heritage · 8 km from the city

Medina Azahara: tickets, hours and how to visit

The palace-city built by the first caliph of al-Andalus, on the slopes of the Sierra Morena. Only about a tenth of it has been excavated.

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Today

Opening hours for every month are on the Opening hours page.

Checked against the official website on 30 October 2026 · Official source

In short

From 21 September to 20 March Medina Azahara is open Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 to 18:00, and on Sundays and holidays from 9:00 to 15:00. Monday is closed, except Mondays that are the eve of a holiday.
The visit starts at the site museum, where you buy the ticket. From there a shuttle bus is the only way up to the ruins.
Allow 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours for the whole visit.
The last entry time is not confirmed, so arrive well before closing.

A palace-city for a caliph

A room of Medina Azahara under a protective canopy, with stone walls and a red-painted band along the lower part of the wall

Abd al-Rahman III, the first caliph of al-Andalus, had the city built from 936 as the seat of his government. It stands about 8 km west of Córdoba, on the slopes of the Sierra Morena. The Salón Rico, the reception hall, is dated 953-957 by its inscriptions. According to legend the name comes from his favourite wife, Az-Zahra, but historians doubt it.

From ruin to museum

The city was sacked during the civil war of about 1010, and its ruins were not identified until the nineteenth century. Excavations began in 1911, the Junta de Andalucía took over in 1985 and the museum opened in October 2009. Only about 10 of the 112 hectares have been excavated. UNESCO listed the site on 1 July 2018.

How the visit works

You start at the museum, which is built into the landscape, and buy your ticket at its reception. Shuttle buses run continuously during opening hours, take you up to the ruins and bring you back. If you come by car, you park at the museum car park.