This is a work of fiction whose main plot was invented by the author. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or used fictionally and any resemblance to persons living or dead, events, and local is entirely coincidental or circumstantial. However, due to the historical background of the plot, some real characters are involved tangentially in the narrative, as well as some cultural and political situations that are also rooted in history.

I choose the environment of the Iberian peninsula during the Islamic domination because its cultural period of splendor and wealth ever seen. Córdoba rivaled Baghdad for prominence in the Islamic world with the specificity that different Islamic Caliphs and opponents governed both cities, but the distance kept the peace between them. A stroke of fate caused a survivor of the massacre of a family over the other to establish the independent domain throughout Andalusia. In the two hundred and fifty years that followed, the Umayyad Andalusia developed a society that was sophisticated, cultured and technologically advanced.

In addition, this period is often touted as a model of coexistence between the three monotheistic religions and as a false example as if, this harmony and peace could co-exist today between the same protagonists of this troubled and bloody modern conflict between Arabs and Jews.

The main characters are based on historical figures are Abu Amir Muhammad/ Almanzor, Subh the mother of the boy caliph Hisham II. Other historical characters, but that does not have very deep involvement in the plots were only mentioned a few times to be important actors of the period are the General Ghalib and his daughter Asma, who became the wife of Almanzor, the Jewish doctor Benzécri which is based on renowned physician Jew Hasdai Ibn Sharput, who lived and worked in Córdoba 913 to 970. Finally, the caliphs, possibly contemporary with the narrative or are cited.

To write a story that takes place over 1000 years in the past thorough research on uses is required, customs, the time data and aspects of local architecture in Cordoba. Instead of interrupting the narrative with footnotes, I preferred to inform some of these sources here not in order of importance because all of them somehow offered useful information. So, I emphasize:

1. Spanish Islam; History of the Moslems in Spain Reinart Dozy;

2. The Moor in Spain by Stanley Lane Poole;

3. The Cordoba Mosque by Farhat A. Hussain,

4. Recuerdos y Bellezas of Espanã Cordoba by Peter D. Madrazo,

5. Homage Al-Andalus: The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain Michael Barry,

6. The Ring of the Dove of Ibn Hazm,

7. Christian Martyr in Muslim Spain Kenneth Wolf,

8. Concubines, Eunuchs, and Patronage in Early Cordoba Glaire D. Anderson;

9. Religious and Cultural Conversion to Islam in Ninth-Century Umayyad

Cordoba Jessica A. Coope.

10. La Conjura de Córdoba de Juan Kresdez

11. Leyendas de Medina Alzanara de Manuel Pimentel

12. Una vida de mujer: Subh de Marín, Manuela (1997).

13. Leyendas de Al-Ándalus de Antonio P. Peñasco (2014)

Together with these documents were consulted several articles on the Internet about Andalusia, Umayyad dynasty, Almanzor and ancient manuscripts of the Quran, especially the manuscripts found at the University of Birmingham and San'a mosque in Yemen.

Finally, I could not fail to mention a historical novel that I read when I was building the Chapter 1 (2nd part of the story). I am referring to "Requiem for Cordoba" by Marilyn Ekdahl Ravicz. My own plot and Ravicz's story start from the same character, the Sultana Subh, involved in similar objectives through, different ways. Coincidence cannot even be a classification for this as it would be impossible to create a plot in this period of Muslim history in the Iberian Peninsula without putting Subh as a protagonist. As the work of Marilyn Ravicz is grounded in deep historical research, I started also to take it as a reference for environment and customs and even as inspiration for the vibrant descriptions of characters performed by her. I let myself use a passage that I knew from Ravicz's work and I consider it essential to be used in some way and I could only do so base on her own description. The use of a lattice structure to separate the women was common in interior decoration, on the architecture of balconies and galleries of the houses, allowing women to look at the street without being seen by men, the Purdah. I do not know, or at least I have not found reports of portable structures for this purpose, and therefore I assumed that this was an adaptation of Ravicz. The scene which I refer to is the moment that Subh gave up, in front of her conspirator friends, of using the lattice structure that separated them during meetings. This scene, which takes place in Chapter 15, was needed to exist and the context could not be much different from that described by Marilyn Ravicz, although developed with different characters.

I have the constant concern in historical accounts to keep the consecrated historiography and respect the closest possible dates of the real facts. Thus, the fiction plot runs parallel with the historical events that determine the periods of their occurrence. However, to make possible the development of the plots the historical periods ranging from 981 to 997 when it happens the invasion of Compostela and then until 1002 or 1003 when Almanzor dies, are condensed in a shorter period.

Due to some comments on the grand aspects of Córdoba society such as data of demography, architectural designs, cultural projects, and scientific projects and about the number of popular houses and nobles, the number of inhabitants and villagers or servants of Al-Zahara Palace, the information provided on Chapter 1 are derived from Arabic sources and reproduced by European writers from 19th century such as Stanley Lane Poole. Have they exaggerated? Maybe, but judging from the ruins of the palace and the magnificence of the Great Mosque of Cordoba (Aljama), today transformed into a Catholic cathedral, we realized that if there were exaggerations in the descriptions was because the greatness had impacted at the time and still does impacts today.