AL-ANDALUS
THE LOST ISLAMIC HISTORY OF SPAIN
Over a thousand years ago, Europe experienced one of its
greatest periods of cultural enlightenment.
Any attempt to understand the history and culture of the Iberian Peninsula must take account of that 'Incredible Islamic Legacy'…"
Richard Fletcher, Islamic Spain
AL-ANDALUS WAS A MULTIFACETED AND
EVENTFUL STAGE IN HISTORY
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It can be considered the longest era in European history, where the nature of interaction
between Muslims, Christians and Jews was daily and immediate.
AL-ANDALUS – THE FORGOTTEN ISLAMIC HISTORY OF SPAIN
Al-Andalus, also called Muslim Spain, was a Muslim kingdom that occupied much of the Iberian Peninsula from 711 CE until the collapse of the Spanish Umayyad Dynasty in the early 11th century. The Arabic name "Al-Andalus" was originally applied by the Muslims to the entire Iberian Peninsula; it likely refers to the Vandals who occupied the region in the 5th century.
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For more than three centuries in Medieval Spain, Muslims, Jews and Christians lived together and prospered in a thriving multicultural civilization. Here, remarkable individuals of different faiths made lasting contributions in such areas as poetry, art, architecture, science, agriculture, medicine, engineering, navigation, textiles, and even hydraulic technology.
But for me, and indeed for many Arabs, Andalusia still represents the finest flowering of our culture.”
Edward Said
You can read more about the history of
al-Andalus on our blog
