ABSTRACT

This handbook offers an overview of the main issues regarding the political, economic, social, religious, intellectual and artistic history of the Iberian Peninsula during the period of Muslim rule (eighth–fifteenth centuries). A comprehensive list of primary and secondary sources attests the vitality of the academic study of al-Andalus (= Muslim Iberia) and its place in present-day discussions about the past and the present.

The contributors are all specialists with diverse backgrounds providing different perspectives and approaches. The volume includes chapters dealing with the destiny of the Muslim population after the Christian conquest and with the posterity of al-Andalus in art, literature and different historiographical traditions. The chapters are organised in the following sections:

  • Political history, concentrating on rulers and armies
  • Social, religious and economic groups
  • Intellectual and cultural developments
  • Legacy and memory of al-Andalus

Offering a synthetic and updated academic treatment of the history and society of Muslim Iberia, this comprehensive and up-to-date collection provides an authoritative and interdisciplinary guide. It is a valuable resource for both specialists and the general public interested in the history of the Iberian Peninsula, Islamic and Medieval studies.

chapter |6 pages

Introduction

Languages, academic traditions and disciplinary backgrounds in the study of al-Andalus

part I|180 pages

Rulers

chapter 3|27 pages

Centralization and Consolidation

The Cordoban Umayyads and the Amirids

chapter 4|25 pages

Replication and Fragmentation

The Taifa kingdoms

chapter 5|25 pages

Berber Rule and Abbasid Legitimacy

The Almoravids (434/1042–530/1147)

chapter 6|31 pages

Berber Rule and the Maghribi Caliphate ٭

The Almohads

chapter 7|26 pages

Resistance and Adaptation

The Nasrids ٭

chapter 8|16 pages

The Coins of Al-Andalus

Ideological evolution and historical context

part II|157 pages

Society

chapter 11|21 pages

Women and Slaves

chapter 12|22 pages

Traders and Peasants 1

chapter 15|26 pages

Ascetics and Sufis ٭

part III|187 pages

Culture

chapter 16|24 pages

Poetry and Literature ٭

chapter 17|27 pages

Religious Sciences ٭

chapter 19|16 pages

Philosophy

chapter 20|19 pages

Sciences and Technology

chapter 21|26 pages

Art and Architecture

chapter 22|27 pages

Material Culture

part IV|148 pages

The aftermath of al-Andalus

chapter 24|17 pages

Living as Muslims Under Christian Rule

The Mudejars ٭

chapter 26|14 pages

The Integration of Al-Andalus in Islamic Historiography

The view from the Maghrib and the Mashriq

chapter 29|18 pages

Writing the History of Al-Andalus

Spain and the West

chapter 30|21 pages

The Alhambra Around the World

Images and constructions of an aesthetic paradigm of modernity ٭