This column base probably came from the splendid Umayyad royal residence city of Madinat al-Zahra, near Cordoba, Spain, which was founded in 936. The classical tradition, so important in Umayyad Syrian art is no less evident here, which is not surprising in light of the Syrian roots of this caliphal house (711–1031) that arose in Spain after the Umayyad dynasty was replaced and almost extinguished by the new ‘Abbasid rulers centered in Baghdad.