What was Al-Andalus?
Al-Andalus was the name for the parts of the Iberian Peninsula under Islamic rule from 711 to 1492 CE. At its height, centered on Córdoba, it was one of the most culturally sophisticated regions in the medieval world, known for convivencia — the coexistence of Muslim, Christian, and Jewish communities that produced remarkable intellectual and artistic achievements.
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name for the territories of the Iberian Peninsula governed by Muslim rulers from 711 CE, when Umayyad forces crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, until 1492, when the last Muslim kingdom of Granada fell to the Christian monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella. At various points, Al-Andalus encompassed most of modern Spain and Portugal.
The civilization that flourished in Al-Andalus was among the most remarkable in the medieval world. Córdoba, the capital under the Umayyad emirs and caliphs, grew to become one of the largest and most sophisticated cities in Europe — and possibly the world. By the 10th century it boasted a population of perhaps 500,000, with paved streets, public lighting, extensive libraries, hundreds of mosques, and public baths. The Great Mosque of Córdoba remains one of the architectural masterpieces of the Islamic world.
Al-Andalus is perhaps best known for convivencia — the complex coexistence of Muslims, Christians, and Jews. This was not equality in the modern sense; Muslims held political power and non-Muslims paid special taxes. But the degree of cultural exchange was genuine and productive. Jewish philosophers like Maimonides wrote in Arabic. Christians studied at Muslim schools. Translation workshops in cities like Toledo rendered Arabic and Greek texts into Latin, transmitting knowledge of Greek philosophy, mathematics, medicine, and astronomy to Western Europe.
The gradual Christian Reconquista reduced Al-Andalus over centuries, but the cultural legacy endured. The Alhambra in Granada, Spanish vocabulary peppered with Arabic loanwords, and the architectural influence visible across southern Spain all testify to Al-Andalus's lasting impact on Iberian and European civilization.