The Conquest of al-Andalus: A Translation of Fatḥ al-Andalus
Edited and Translated by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Routledge
ISBN: 978-1-032-85553-0
We have relatively few sources for the Islamic conquest of Iberia in the early eighth century. This translation of a later account offers fresh insight into those events.
Excerpt:
As noted, the dubbed title of this work – “Fatḥ al-Andalus” – translates as the “conquest of al-Andalus.” In the prologue, the author tells us that the first matter to be recounted is “how al- Andalus was conquered.” It is likely that one of the first things any reader of Fatḥ al-Andalus will notice about the work is the imbalance in content with respect to the timeframe. While the work covers around 400 years of the history of al-Andalus, nearly two thirds of the book’s pages in Molina’s edition are devoted to the initial conquest in 711 CE and the tenures of al-Andalus’ governors up to the time of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān I’s entry in 755 CE . During the tenures of those governors, Muslim rule in Western Europe reached its maximum territorial expansion into what is now southern France, which can thus be seen as a continuation of the initial conquest of al-Andalus. The important point here is that the imbalance matches the dubbed title of the work: that is, given that the work’s title refers to the conquest of al-Andalus, it should then not be surprising that this subject is the primary focus of the work.
Who is this book for?
Although this anonymous work dates to the 12th century, it remains a valuable source for the first decades of al-Andalus. Its coverage of the Taifa states era in the eleventh century is brief, but still useful. Historians of medieval al-Andalus and Iberia will want a copy.
“… al-Tamimi has done a service to medieval studies by providing an English translation of an early history of al-Andalus that can be instructively read with other contemporary narratives. The book with its introduction, notes, appendix, and bibliography makes Fatḥ al-Andalus intelligible to the non-specialist and suggests ways in which readers may pursue their interests further.” ~ review by Janina Safran in The Medieval Review.
The Author
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi is a historian and researcher, both of the Middle Ages and current-day Middle Eastern politics. You can follow him on his website Aymenn’s Monstrous Publications.
The Conquest of al-Andalus: A Translation of Fatḥ al-Andalus
Edited and Translated by Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi
Routledge
ISBN: 978-1-032-85553-0
We have relatively few sources for the Islamic conquest of Iberia in the early eighth century. This translation of a later account offers fresh insight into those events.
Excerpt:
As noted, the dubbed title of this work – “Fatḥ al-Andalus” – translates as the “conquest of al-Andalus.” In the prologue, the author tells us that the first matter to be recounted is “how al- Andalus was conquered.” It is likely that one of the first things any reader of Fatḥ al-Andalus will notice about the work is the imbalance in content with respect to the timeframe. While the work covers around 400 years of the history of al-Andalus, nearly two thirds of the book’s pages in Molina’s edition are devoted to the initial conquest in 711 CE and the tenures of al-Andalus’ governors up to the time of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān I’s entry in 755 CE . During the tenures of those governors, Muslim rule in Western Europe reached its maximum territorial expansion into what is now southern France, which can thus be seen as a continuation of the initial conquest of al-Andalus. The important point here is that the imbalance matches the dubbed title of the work: that is, given that the work’s title refers to the conquest of al-Andalus, it should then not be surprising that this subject is the primary focus of the work.
Who is this book for?
Although this anonymous work dates to the 12th century, it remains a valuable source for the first decades of al-Andalus. Its coverage of the Taifa states era in the eleventh century is brief, but still useful. Historians of medieval al-Andalus and Iberia will want a copy.
“… al-Tamimi has done a service to medieval studies by providing an English translation of an early history of al-Andalus that can be instructively read with other contemporary narratives. The book with its introduction, notes, appendix, and bibliography makes Fatḥ al-Andalus intelligible to the non-specialist and suggests ways in which readers may pursue their interests further.” ~ review by Janina Safran in The Medieval Review.
The Author
Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi is a historian and researcher, both of the Middle Ages and current-day Middle Eastern politics. You can follow him on his website Aymenn’s Monstrous Publications.
You can learn more about this book from the publisher’s website.
You can buy this book on Amazon.com | Amazon.ca | Amazon.co.uk
Subscribe to Medievalverse
Related Posts