The riots which occurred in the southern “arrabal” (suburb) of Qurtuba on March 24, 818 were, according to certain chronicles from Al-Andalus, “the work of depraved scoundrels and the dregs of humanity.” Nevertheless, this appears to have been staged as an intentional cover-up of what was actually a real rebellion against the government of Emir Al-Hakam, whom all of the authors coincide in portraying as an authoritarian prone to violent repression, as well.

The archeological evidence appears to corroborate these facts: the excavations completed in 2001 in the area of Miraflores seem to confirm the reality of the extraordinary decision reached by the emir after the repression which took place in the Arrabal, the remains of which have been practically unaltered since that fated day. Daniel Valdivieso will be speaking to us about all of this at the conference.

After the conference, you can enjoy a dramatized recreation of this historical incident.

Daniel Valdivieso has a university degree in Psychology and is an expert in training, and the study and dissemination of chronicles from Al-Andalus. As a result of his research, he has had many articles and books published, including La Córdoba de Ibn Hazm (Ibn Hazm’s Cordoba, 2016), which has been the best selling title at the last two editions of the Feria del Libro in Madrid. A consultant who collaborates with SextoMario on heritage and education, he was responsible for coordinating and reviewing the books Lucio Anneo Séneca (Lucius Annaeus Seneca, 2015) and Iglesias Fernandinas de Córdoba (The Fernandine Churches of Cordoba, 2017), published by the publishing company Utopía Libros, where he heads the historical documentation section. He is currently collaborating with the directors of the Madinat al-Zahra Archeological Site to carry out activities to increase awareness about and re-publish the translations of several volumes of the Muqtabis by Ibn Hayyan.