الأندلس
al-Andalus
Place
The Muslim-ruled parts of the Iberian peninsula from 711 to 1492.
What it means
Muslim rule in Spain began in 711 and lasted in its last stronghold, Granada, until 1492. Cordoba under the Umayyads was among the largest cities in Europe, with great libraries. Jews, Christians and Muslims lived and worked together, with periods of stress.
What the sources say
Scholars of the age, such as Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Ibn Hazm and Maimonides, who wrote in Arabic though a Jew, worked in this setting. After the Christian conquest, Muslims and Jews were forced to convert or leave, and Jews expelled in 1492 were welcomed in the Ottoman lands.