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Muslim Spain — al-Andalus

711–1492 CE · 92 AH–897 AH
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Approximate extent around 1000 CE · Borders are approximate and simplified.See on the map
Overview

In 92 AH (711 CE) Tariq ibn Ziyad crossed into Iberia. ʿAbd al-Rahman I, an Umayyad prince who escaped the Abbasids, founded an emirate at Córdoba in 756, and ʿAbd al-Rahman III declared a caliphate there in 929.

Córdoba became one of Europe's greatest cities, with libraries, paved streets and a famous mosque. After 1031 al-Andalus split into small kingdoms (taifas); the Almoravids and Almohads from North Africa reunited it for a time. The Nasrid kingdom of Granada, builders of the Alhambra, lasted until 1492.

Capital: Córdoba · Granada

Key events
  • 711: Tariq ibn Ziyad lands at Gibraltar (Jabal Tariq).
  • 756: ʿAbd al-Rahman I founds the Emirate of Córdoba.
  • 785: the Great Mosque of Córdoba begun.
  • 929: ʿAbd al-Rahman III declares the Caliphate of Córdoba.
  • 1238: the Nasrid kingdom of Granada founded.
  • 1492: Granada surrenders to Castile and Aragon.
Key figures
  • Tariq ibn Ziyad
  • ʿAbd al-Rahman I
  • ʿAbd al-Rahman III
  • al-Zahrawi
  • Ibn Rushd
  • Ibn Hazm
Legacy

Andalusian scholarship in medicine, philosophy and astronomy was translated into Latin and fed the European Renaissance; its art and architecture still define southern Spain.

Prepared from standard sources; pending scholar review.