Academic Boom

With such circumstances and life no wonder for Cordoba to look (in the mid-fourth Hijri century/tenth calendar century) just like a fresh modern city rivaling the Third millennium's modern cities! Why not; schools were everywhere in the city, as well as public and private libraries until Cordoba became the world's largest book storehouse, second to none, and the most energetic cultural hub and academic powerhouse for all branches of knowledge and in all domains. The poor had been attending school for free at the rulers' expense and, therefore, no wonder to realize that all members of the nation were able - at least- to read and write. There was not such a person who could not read and write in Cordoba. In Europe at that time, noblest people were illiterate, with the exception of a few clergymen!             

Administrative Boom

Noteworthy, Cordoba's civilizational and academic upswings at that time were synchronal with an administrative progress through a host of institutions and pioneering governing systems, including the principality and ministry. With the development of the judicial, police and public duties (of enjoining good and forbidding evil) (hisba) system, a great industrial advancement was underway. Industry markedly developed in the city and several industries boomed like leather industry, shipbuilding, plowing machines, pharmaceuticals and others, in addition to gold, silver and copper extraction![1]

Civil and Modern Life in Cordoba

A look at the civil and modern life in Cordoba helps us realize that the city was divided into 5 towns in what seems to be 5 large districts. Al Maqri says, "And between each two towns there was a great well-fortified fence. Each town was completely independent having enough baths, markets and industries…adequate for its population."[2]    

Cordoba, according to Yaqout al Hamwi in his Mu'jam Al-Buldan Dictionary, was renowned for its many markets full of all types of commodities and each single town in Cordoba had its own market.[3]     

Statistics on the urban development in Cordoba can be quoted from al Maqri's book:

Mosques: Number of mosques in Cordoba until Abdul Rahman ad-Dakhil's era reached 490. The figure later increased to 3837.

Ordinary houses: 213077

Elite houses: 60300

Shops and stores: 80455

Public baths:  900

Precincts: 28[4]        

Those figures upped and downed according to the political situations and according to historians' versions. However, the differences were always on the level of splendor, greatness and beauty rather than whether or not they were existent.        

During the Islamic state era Cordoba was home for around 500,000 souls[5]. Noteworthy, today's Cordoba is home for up to 310,000 souls![6] 

[1]  Al Qalqashandi: Subh Al-A'sha (The Dawn for the Blind) 5/218

[2] Al Maqri: Nafh Al Tibb 1/558  

[3]  Yaqout al Hamwi: Mu'jam Al-Buldan Dictionary 4/324

[4]  Al Maqri: Nafh Al Tibb 1/540 and beyond   

[5]  Mohamed Abdullah Anan: Andalusia Enduring Monuments in Spain and Portugal pp. 19

[6]Wikipedia: Link: http://ar.wikipedia.org

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