Overview
Al-Andalus refers to the territory occupied by the Muslim Empire in Southern Spain between 711 and 1492 and at some point, it included Portugal, Southern France, and the Balearic Islands. A coherent and tolerant society of Muslims, Jews, and Christians created an advanced intellectual civilization. Several explorations, encounters, and culture exchanges transpired which produced many great philosophers, physicians, scientists, and more, allowing Al-Andalus to become the center of learning and knowledge. Its capital, Cordoba, was the most advanced city in the 10th century with a population of 500,000, and with the most modern public facilities such as libraries or public bathing areas.
Courtesy of "A Vanished World" by Chris Lowney
Silver Nasrid Dirham of Muhammed I, Granada. (Courtesy of Muslim Heritage)
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The seal of the Emirate of Granada. (Courtesy of Lost Islamic History)
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"Not just Córdoba shone ... but the whole of Al-Andalus over which its caliph presided. In the end, it would be Al-Andalus's vast intellectual wealth, inseparable from its prosperity in the material realm that made it the ‘ornament of the world.”
Maria Rosa Menocal, "The Ornament of the World" |
Courtesy of UNESCO
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