Sobre Arqueología y Arquitectura en Medina Azahara. Entrevista a Rafael Manzano Martos

Abstract

Professor Rafael Manzano Martos, architect, was the director of the Madinat al-Zahra archeological site 19751985. The interview, ilustrated with unpublished photos from his private archives, starts by recalling his beginnings in archeology and his masters Torres Balbas, Chueca Goitia, Gómez Moreno and Iniguez Almech, with whom he trained as restorer of monuments and historian. The criteria and language of his important intervention in the "Salon Rico" are discussed after talking about his predecessor Felix Hernandez and his professional context. His interventions in the "palacio de Yaafar", in "Da 'ral-Mulk", and in "Da ral-Yund" are also mentioned. His concerns about urban planning, gardening, water and electricity, and the scarcity of economic resources and understaffing are recalled. Finally, some singularities of Madinat al-Zahra are discussed, where his vision as an architect converges with history and archeology.