Final answer:
Abd al-Rahman I, who built the Córdoba mosque, was from the Umay_yad dynasty, which ruled in Spain after being overthrown by the Abbasids in Syria.
Step-by-step explanation:
The builder of the Córdoba mosque, Abd al-Rahman I, was a member of the Umay_yad dynasty. The Umay_yads were the ruling family of the Islamic world until they were overthrown by the Abbasid dynasty in 750. Abd al-Rahman I, fleeing from the destruction of his family in Syria by the Abbasids, found refuge in Al-Andalus, in the Iberian Peninsula. There, he established control and began work on the Great Mosque of Córdoba, drawing artistic inspiration from his Syrian homeland. The mosque is renowned for its use of horseshoe-shaped arches, a style they adopted from pre-existing structures created by the Visigoths. The grandeur of the Córdoba Mosque was indicative of the cultural and political ambitions of the Umay_yad dynasty in Spain, which aimed to rival the other major centers of the Islamic world, such as Constantinople and Baghdad.