A finalist for World Magazine's Book of the Year! Scholars, journalists, and even politicians uphold Muslim-ruled medieval Spain—"al-Andalus"—as a multicultural paradise, a place where Muslims, Christians, and Jews lived in harmony. There is only one problem with this widely accepted account: it is a myth. In this groundbreaking book, Northwestern University scholar Darío Fernández-Morera tells the full story of Islamic Spain. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise shines light on hidden history by drawing on an abundance of primary sources that scholars have ignored, as well as archaeological evidence only recently unearthed. This supposed beacon of peaceful coexistence began, of course, with the Islamic Caliphate's conquest of Spain. Far from a land of religious tolerance, Islamic Spain was marked by religious and therefore cultural repression in all areas of life and the marginalization of Christians and other groups—all this in the service of social control by autocratic rulers and a class of religious authorities. The Myth of the Andalusian Paradise provides a desperately needed reassessment of medieval Spain. As professors, politicians, and pundits continue to celebrate Islamic Spain for its "multiculturalism" and "diversity," Fernández-Morera sets the historical record straight—showing that a politically useful myth is a myth nonetheless.

First published in 2008. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

‘A fantastic and heartfelt book, full of recipes that make you feel like Spain should be your home.’ – Tom Kerridge Bordering Spain's southern coast, Andalusia is a place where the past and modernity blend together to form a rather magical destination. From sandy beaches to amazing architecture, buzzing tapas bars and flamenco dancers, it's full of passion. Not just a feast for the eyes, Andalusia is also a food-lover's paradise. In Andalusia, award-winning chef José Pizarro takes readers on a journey through it's most delicious dishes. Many of the dishes go back to Moorish times – or earlier – and each of the eight provinces has their own special dish. Try your hand at Pork loin with pear and hazelnuts, Prawns baked in salt with mango, chilli, coriander salsa, and a rather boozy Barbary fig margarita. Written in José's signature fuss-free style, this is genuine, bold-tasting Spanish food, easily made at home. Andalusia is all about simple pleasures: a glass of wine or sherry, a piece of cheese or ham, and good company. Set to the backdrop of beautiful location shots, Andalusia is a must for anyone who loves authentic, simple Spanish food.

A garden at the foot of Europe and a crossroads between Spain, Africa and the New World, Andaluc?a has been a cultural customs house on the border of the Mediterranean and Atlantic civilizations for more than ten thousand years. This book traces its origins from the earliest hominid settlers in the Granada mountains 1.8 million years ago, through successive Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Muslim cultures, and the past five hundred years of modern Castilian rule, up to and including the present day of post-modern novelists in C?rdoba and Sevilla, guerrilla urban archaeologists in Torremolinos and Marbella, and underground lo-fi bands in Granada and M?laga.

Undeterred by remote and almost savage country, a primitive peasant population and inns evidently medieval in their crudity, Penelope Chetwode rode in the wilds of Andalusia, her sole companion a 12-year-old bay mare, La Marquesa.

From 711 when they arrived on the Iberian Peninsula until 1492 when scholars contribute a wide-ranging series of essays and catalogue entries which are fully companion to the 373 illustrations (324 in color) of the spectacular art and architecture of the nearly vanished culture. 91/2x121/2 they were expelled by Ferdinand and Isabella, the Muslims were a powerful force in al-Andalus, as they called the Iberian lands they controlled. This awe-inspiring volume, which accompanies a major exhibition presented at the Alhambra in Granada and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, is devoted to the little-known artistic legacy of Islamic Spain, revealing the value of these arts as part of an autonomous culture and also as a presence with deep significance for both Europe and the Islamic world. Twenty-four international Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

It is Christmas Day in the year 710 AD in Toledo, capital of Visigoth Spain. King Wittiza has been dethroned, and the impulsive and tyrannical Roderic has been installed as monarch of Spain with the help of the Catholic clergy. Even so, Bishop Oppas, the deposed king's brother, is to remain as the senior ecclesiastical figure in Spain during King Roderic's reign. The beautiful Florinda is the daughter of Count Julian, the governor of Sabta, a Christian enclave in Muslim North Africa. She is madly in love and engaged to the charismatic and courageous Alfonso, son of the deposed king. But she has been moved into King Roderic's palace where she is the target of the new king's lustful desires, even though he is married. And Alfonso has been kept as a retainer in the palace so that his comings and goings can be monitored. Will Florinda manage to thwart the lascivious advances of the depraved king? Will Alfonso be able to foil the king's designs? And how will Florinda's father, Count Julian, react when he learns of Roderic's evil plans towards his daughter? What role will Bishop Oppas play -- torn as he is between loyalty to Visigoth Spain and faithfulness to his values and his family? The fast-paced story, full of twists and turns, unfolds as the Muslim armies in North Africa are poised to cross the Straits of Gibraltar and gain their first European foothold in what came to be called the land of al-Andalus. The Conquest of Andalusia is also the story of the battle for Florinda's virtue and happiness ....