I am pleased to announce that my English translation and study of ‘Fath al-Andalus’ (‘The Conquest of al-Andalus’), published by academic publisher Routledge, is now available for purchase in e-book format. An anonymous work that most likely dates to the beginning of the 12th century CE, the main focus is on the initial Muslim conquest of Spain, the first governors who were nominally tied to the Umayyad Caliphate based out of Syria, and the arrival and reign of Abd al-Rahman I who established al-Andalus as an Umayyad realm independent of the Abbasid Caliphate that replaced the Umayyads in the Middle East.
The work itself is brief and serves as an excellent introduction to medieval Arabic writing about Muslim Spain. Moreover, some of the themes in the book- such as the portrait of the ‘ta’ifa’ kingdoms that emerged in the 11th century CE during and following the decline and fall of the Cordoba-based Umayyad caliphate- still have relevance today. For example, notions of ‘fath’ (‘conquest’) and discussion of ta’ifa-like division among Muslims have featured in the discourse of modern Muslim militant groups like the Islamic State and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
The book includes an introduction that is written with the assumption of little to no knowledge on the part of the reader- accessible for academics and the wider public alike. Besides providing a general overview of the period covered (c. 711 CE-early 12th century CE) and the sources available to us as well as the themes in the work, the introduction touches on the scholarly debate surrounding the sources and date of composition of the work. Finally, an appendix section provides some comparative materials translated from Arabic and Latin to provide a broader context for the reader.
A sample of the book can be read online and the entire e-book can be purchased at a discount price via Google Play. The hardback version is due to be released in March of this year.