[1] Upon receiving information that part of the inhabitants of the eastern quarter of Cordoba, Ajarquia, were disaffected with their rulers, a handful of almogávars led by knights acting on their own initiative scaled a tower during a rainy winter night of 1235–1236.

The Primera Crónica General highlighted the heroic act of the leading knights, while later Spanish historian Julio González emphasized that help from within city walls must have been a significant factor in the success of this takeover, for it met with little opposition in Ajarquia.

The Christians immediately sent word to neighboring border forces, most notably those of Álvaro Pérez de Castro, who reinforced them, and they also asked king Ferdinand for help.

The event also left a lasting impact on Córdoba's cultural and architectural landscape, as Christian rulers sought to integrate Islamic influences into their domains.

[2][6] In capturing the city, Ferdinand benefited from the rivalry between the two main competing taifa rulers following the dissolution of the Almohad authority, itself triggered by the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa.