Al-Andalus History

DOCUMENTACIÓN ARQUEOLÓGICA DE UNA CIUDAD ALMOHADE DE LA MESETA: CALATRAVA

by Manuel Retuerce Velasco

Manuel Retuerce (1996): "Documentación arqueológica de una ciudad almohade de la Meseta: Calatrava". Alarcos, 1195. Actas del Congreso Internacional conmemorativo del VIII Centenario de la batalla de Alarcos. (Ciudad Real, 1995), p. 211-222. Ciudad Real.

The Qadi as ruler

by Maribel Fierro

In Saber religioso y poder político en el Islam actas del Simposio Internacional : (Granada, 15-18 octubre 1991), Granada: Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional, 1994, pags. 71-116

During times of political upheaval in al-Andalus, judges took power in the towns were they administered justice: it... more During times of political upheaval in al-Andalus, judges took power in the towns were they administered justice: it happened in Toledo, Seville and other towns during the period of disintegration of the Umayyad caliphate in the first half of the fifth/tenth century and also during the anti-Almoravid rebellions by the mid-sixth/twelfth century. In this paper such cases are analyzed in their varieties and similarities. The ways in which such assumption of political power was justified and legitimized are also studied.

La formación de Tudmīr desde la periferia del Estado islámico

by Sonia Gutiérrez Lloret

GUTIÉRREZ LLORET, Sonia. "La formación de Tudmīr desde la periferia del Estado islámico". Cuadernos de Madinat al-Zahra. N. 3 (1991). ISSN 1139-9996, pp. 9-21

Los mawali de 'Abd al-Rahman I

by Maribel Fierro

Al-Qantara, XX, 1999, pp. 66-97.

Andalusi sources give abundant information on the clients (mawali), both direct and indirect, of 'Abd al-Rahman I. In... more Andalusi sources give abundant information on the clients (mawali), both direct and indirect, of 'Abd al-Rahman I. In this article, that information is collected and analyzed within the context of the political and military activity of the first Umayyad amir of al-Andalus.

Sobre la adopción del título califal por 'Abd al-Rahman III

by Maribel Fierro

Sharq Al-Andalus: Estudios mudejares y moriscos, Nº 6, 1989, pags. 33-42

Abd al-Rahman III adopted the caliphal title after his defeat of the most important rebel in al-Andalus, Ibn Hafsun.... more Abd al-Rahman III adopted the caliphal title after his defeat of the most important rebel in al-Andalus, Ibn Hafsun. However, the main reason for his adoption was to counteract the establishment of the Fatimid caliphate in Ifriqiya, a caliphate that menat a political and military threat to Umayyad power and influence in North Africa. In this paper, the explanations given for such an adoption and the Umayyad propaganda directed to the Berber population are reviewed.

Medical Anecdotes in Ibn Juljul's Biographical Dictionary

by Cristina Álvarez Millán

in Suhayl (Journal for the History of the Exact and Natural Sciences in Islamic Civilization, 4 (2004), pp. 141-158.

Científicos en nómina: mecenazgo científico en el Occidente islámico

by Mònica Rius Piniés

La amonedación canónica del emirato omeya andalusí antes de 'Abd al-Rahman II, según el hallazgo de dírhams de Villaviciosa (Córdoba)

by Salvador Peña

Co-authored with Miguel Vega. Published in 'Al-Andalus-Magreb' (Universidad de Cádiz) 14 (2007), pp. 149-202.

The Archaeological Museum of Cordoba preserves three large sets of Islamic medieval coins which were minted in... more The Archaeological Museum of Cordoba preserves three large sets of Islamic medieval coins which were minted in al-Andalus before AH 202/AD 817 and which are probably part of a
huge hoard found in Villaviciosa (Cordoba) and known of since the third decade of the 20th century. Such a large set of coins, most of them in a particularly good state, provides strong archaeological evidence to sustain that the Umayyad Emirate of al-Andalus undertook the issuing of coins as a legal resource for the market purposes and the politics of taxes. This happened from the times of ‘Abd al-Rahmân I, i.e. from the very beginnings of the Emirate, in spite of what has been claimed both in medieval and contemporary historiography.

Dinàmiques d'organització social i territorial "in territorio Terrachone"

by Xavier Gonzalo Arango

Treball per a l'obtenció del DEA dins del Master "Études Médiévales" M2 a la Université de Toulouse 2 - Le Mirail (2011)

Huellas de la sociedad musulmana granadina: la conversión del Albayzín (1499-1500)

by Gonzalo Carrasco

'En la España Medieval', 2007 (30), pp. 335-380.

English title: "Traces of Muslim Society in Granada and the Conversion of the Albayzín (1499-1500)"

The mass baptism of Muslims in Granada at the turn of the sixteenth century was one of the key events that marked the... more The mass baptism of Muslims in Granada at the turn of the sixteenth century was one of the key events that marked the end of an era. These religious conversions have been studied with the use of a series of baptismal lists from the central parishes of the Albayzín district. The issues related to this event, which took place in the span of a few days, are laid out in order to grasp the logic of the conversions. Furthermore, the data provided by these lists allows us to sketch a sociological portrait of the Muslim community with issues ranging from family structure, trades, and the various minority groups including Elches, Blacks, slaves and Mudejars. This study allows us to retrieve the vestiges of Nasrid society after the Christian conquest and the absorption of Granada by Castile.

"La política religiosa de 'Abd al-Rahmann III (r. 300/912-350/961)"

by Maribel Fierro

Al-Qanṭara, Vol 25, No 1 (2004), 119-156

Three aspects of the religious policies of the first Umayyad caliph of al-Andalus are analyzed in this article:... more Three aspects of the religious policies of the first Umayyad caliph of al-Andalus are analyzed in this article: firstly, the repression against the Batinis within the anti-Isma‘ili caliphal policy and one of its possible consequences (the scarce number of qussas); secondly, the space allowed to Sunni religious pluralism; thirdly, the extent to which scholars were willing to accept the attacks against the 'Alids and the Fatimids on the part of the Umayyads. The analysis of these trends is carried out within the framework of the relationships between the caliph and the Andalusi scholars.

“La política religiosa de 'Abd al-Rahman III (r. 300/912-350/961)”

by Maribel Fierro

Al-Qantara XXV,1 (2005) 119- 156.

Three aspects of the religious policies of the first Umayyad caliph of al-Andalus are analyzed in this article:... more Three aspects of the religious policies of the first Umayyad caliph of al-Andalus are analyzed in this article: firstly, the repression against the Batinis within the anti-Isma‘ili caliphal policy and one of its possible consequences (the scarce number of qussas); secondly, the space allowed to Sunni religious pluralism; thirdly, the extent to which scholars were willing to accept the attacks against the 'Alids and the Fatimids on the part of the Umayyads. The analysis of these trends is carried out within the framework of the relationships between the caliph and the Andalusi scholars.

"Madinat al-Zahra, el paraíso y los fatimíes"

by Maribel Fierro

Al-Qantara XXV, 2 (2004) 299-327

Qur'ánic verses on Paradise (especially Qur'án, 55: 46-78), as well as the Kitab wasf al-firdaws by 'Abd al-Malik b.... more Qur'ánic verses on Paradise (especially Qur'án, 55: 46-78), as well as the Kitab wasf al-firdaws by 'Abd al-Malik b. Habib, allow us to give specific meanings to the interpretation of Madinat al-Zahra as Paradise and to support it over other possible interpretations (although without necessarily eliminating the latter). On this basis, the variety and asymmetry of the wall decorations in the Hall of 'Abd al-Rahman III are explained, as well as how certain narratives on Madinat al-Zahra came into being. The «green and manganese» decoration of the pottery produced in the town is given a new meaning and some considerations are offered on the name given to the town. A relationship can be established between Madinat al-Zahráa as Paradise and one of the doctrines attributed to Mundhir b. Sa'id al-Balluti, judge of ‘Abd al-Rahman III from 339/950 until the death of the caliph. The silence of the Arab sources about this Paradisiac symbolism could be linked to the anecdote on how Mundhir b. Sa'id censured 'Abd al-Rahman Ill's building activity. Finally, Madinat al-Zahra has to be studied within the context of the political and religious struggle with the Fatimids, and more specifically taking into account the situation after the defeat of the «Man of the Donkey», who was presented as an eschatological figure by the Fatimids.

"Corresponding Across Religious Borders: Al-Bājī Response to a Missionary Letter from France," Medieval Encounters 18 (2012) 1-35

by Diego Sarrio Cucarella

“I have examined, O monk, the letter coming from you, the friendship therein proffered, the advice which you offer,... more “I have examined, O monk, the letter coming from you, the friendship therein proffered, the advice which you offer, and the intention which you disclose.” With these words begins the reply written by the eminent Andalusian Mālikī scholar Abū l-Walīd Sulaymān al-Bājī (d. 1081) to a letter received at the Muslim court of Saragossa from an unidentified ‘monk of France’ inviting the ruler to convert to Christianity. This letter, if authentic, is the earliest extant record of a Christian mission to Muslims in the West. After introducing al-Bājī and situating him in the socio-political and religious circumstances of the time, this article offers a review of past scholarship relating to this correspondence, which has mostly focused on the authenticity of the Christian letter and the possible identification of its author. It is argued in favor of the authenticity of the exchange, offering reasons for it. The article then turns to al-Bājī’s text, seeking to draw from it what it can tell us about him and how he viewed Christians and Christianity.

Remembering Sepharad

by Reyes Coll-Tellechea

in Memory, Oblivion and Jewish Culture in Latin America. The University of Texas Press, 3-15, 2005

The Coinage of Spain Under the Umayyad Caliphs of the East, 711-750

by Michael L Bates

from Actas III Jarique de Numismática Hispano-árabe, Museo Arqueológico Nacional, Madrid, 13-16 diciembre 1990 (Madrid, 1992), pp. 271-89.

Los Banu Jalid de al-Funtin (Loja): El asentamiento de un linaje de clientes omeyas en al-Andalus (siglos VIII-X)

by Miguel Jiménez Puertas

Publicado en www.arqueologiamedieval.com (08/05/2009)

Se estudian las informaciones relativas a los Banu Jalid, instalados en las proximidades de Loja a mediados del siglo... more Se estudian las informaciones relativas a los Banu Jalid, instalados en las proximidades de Loja a mediados del siglo VIII y entre cuyos miembros los emires y califas omeyas reclutaron a numerosos visires, gobernadores y caídes hasta comienzos del siglo XI.

"Redes de alquerías sin husun. Una reconsideración a partir de los asentamientos campesinos andalusíes de las Islas Orientales". In A. Malpica (Ed.): Castillos y territorio en al-Andalus, pp. 450-469, Granada, 1998

by Helena Kirchner

"Arqueologia colonial: espais andalusins i pobladors catalans, 1229-1300". Barceló ; M. et al. (Eds.): El feudalisme comptat i debatut. Formació i expansió del feudalisme català. València-Barcelona:, 2003: 201-236

by Helena Kirchner

"Tierras de clanes. Espacios hidráulicos y clanes andalusíes en la isla de Yabisa (Ibiza)". Arqueología del paisaje. Arqueología Espacial, 19-20, 1998, p.351-372, Zaragoza.

by Helena Kirchner