The Intellectual Crossroads of Al-Andalus

Living in a land situated in one of the edges of the Islamic world, the inhabitants of al-Andalus saw themselves as somewhat isolated, an island surrounded both by the sea and the Christians. Their scholars exerted themselves to keep contact with the central lands of Islam by performing the travel of study (riḥla fī ṭalab al-ʽilm), bringing back books and ideas produced elsewhere. The traveling of knowledge, however, was not unidirectional: from very early on, Andalusi scholars made important contributions to the “global” Islamic culture. This talk discusses these contributions and the reasons for their success. Speakers Maribel Fierro, Research Professor, High Council for Scientific Research in Madrid