Abderrahmán III

(912-961), Spain. Statesman

Eighth Omeya emir, founder of the School of Medicine in Cordoba. Also the founder of the first Caliphate in Cordoba, Abderrahmán III rivaled the powers of the eastern Caliphate in Damascus. The two cities anchored the ends of the Islam crescent at a time of great islamic expansion throughout the known world. His power and his interest in the arts and sciences allowed him to build Cordoba into the largest and most modern city of its time in Europe with over 1 million inhabitants and street lighting - a full 1,000 years before London reached similar heights.