This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book reviews the medieval sources that discuss the topography of Córdoba, the capital of al-Andalus. It examines 'Writing and Restoration in Rome: Inscriptions, Statues and Late Antique Preservation of Buildings', analyzing the inscriptions accompanying public statuary in Rome as keys to understanding the motives behind architectural restoration. The book looks at new foundations within the formation of the early Islamic state. It demonstrates how the act of building and the forms employed in buildings' construction shaped a new royal city. The book considers the placement of lepers and the trajectory of urban itineraries, in this case with reference to the wealthy towns of twelfth- and thirteenth-century Champagne. It also examines descriptions of two important events in fourteenth-century Roman history: the execution of the popular leader Cola di Rienzo in 1355 and the return of the Avignon papacy to the city in 1377.