The Conquest of al-Andalus

The Conquest of al-Andalus: A Translation of Fatḥ al-Andalus provides the first English-language in-depth study and complete English translation of the work Fatḥ al-Andalus (“The Conquest of al-Andalus”), which covers the history of Muslim Spain from the time of the initial conquest in 711 CE until the rise of the Almoravids and unification of the territories of Muslim Spain. The work is generally thought to be anonymous and likely dates from the early 12th century CE.

The introductory study provides a brief overview about the historical period covered by Fatḥ al-Andalus and relevant Arabic historical sources before turning to major themes and historical topics in Fatḥ al-Andalus, such as holy war and conquest, conflicts between Arabs and Berbers, ʿAbd al-Raḥmān I’s establishment of an independent Umayyad emirate in al-Andalus, and the ṭāʾifa realms that emerged in al-Andalus in the 11th century and were then dismantled by the Almoravids. The translation is extensively annotated in order to aid the reader’s understanding of the text, and a special appendix is provided with translations of Latin and Arabic source materials for additional context and comparison.

Owing to Fatḥ al-Andalus’ brevity and conciseness, the text serves as an ideal introduction to medieval Arabic historiography about al-Andalus, especially for a more general audience that may not be able to read the original Arabic text, which presents difficulties and has until now only been available in Spanish translations. This volume should also be a helpful companion for specialists who may wish to examine the traditions contained in Fatḥ al-Andalus and compare them with other Arabic historical works about al-Andalus