Dawlat al-Islam fi al-Andalus
- Author died
- 1406 AH
- Editions
- Maktabat al-Khānjī
Dawlat al-Islam fi al-Andalus (The State of Islam in al-Andalus) is a multi-volume historical work by the Egyptian scholar and historian Muhammad Abdullah Anan (1316–1408 AH / 1898–1988 CE) , providing a comprehensive history of Muslim rule in the Iberian Peninsula from the early conquests to the final expulsion of the Moriscos .
Composition and Historical Research
The first volume of the encyclopedia was published in 1942 or 1943, and Anan completed the last of its seven volumes in 1965 . In preparing the work, Anan traveled to Spain starting in 1936 to inspect the geographic settings and surviving monuments in cities such as Toledo, Cordoba, Seville, Granada, and Valencia . Over several decades, he undertook twelve research trips across the Iberian Peninsula—visiting old Andalusi sites in Spain and Portugal as well as regions connected to Andalusi history such as Castile, Navarre, Leon, and Galicia—and conducted archival investigations in Spain and Morocco . Alongside the main historical work, he authored a dedicated archaeological study titled al-Athar al-Andalusiyya al-baqiya fi Isbaniya wa-l-Burtughal (Surviving Andalusian Antiquities in Spain and Portugal) .
Structure and Contents
The work treats the history of al-Andalus across nine centuries, organized into four primary historical eras ('Usoor):
- The First Era (al-'Asr al-Awwal): Covers the conquest of Ifriqiya and al-Andalus, the period of the governors ('Asr al-Wulat), the Umayyad Emirate, the Umayyad Caliphate, its decline under the 'Amirids, and the onset of the Taifa era (22–450 AH / 643–1058 CE) .
- The Second Era (al-'Asr al-Thani): Focuses on the Taifa states (Duwal al-Tawa'if) from their rise in the early fifth century AH until their collapse before the Almoravid dynasty (425–502 AH / 1033–1108 CE) .
- The Third Era (al-'Asr al-Thalith): Entitled 'Asr al-Murabitin wa-l-Muwahhidin fi al-Maghrib wa-l-Andalus, it details the Almoravid and Almohad Caliphate movements in the Maghrib and al-Andalus through the fall of Almohad power in the Iberian Peninsula (500–668 AH / 1106–1269 CE) .
- The Fourth Era (al-'Asr al-Rabi'): Entitled Nihayat al-Andalus wa-Tarikh al-'Arab al-Mutanassirin, this era encompasses the Emirate of Granada under the Nasrid dynasty until its fall, followed by the history of the subjugated Moriscos under Christian Spanish rule, their forced conversions, and their eventual expulsion (635–1019 AH / 1237–1610 CE) .
Later editions incorporated thematic chapters examining Andalusi administrative, military, and economic institutions, as well as intellectual and literary life .
Sources and Methodology
Anan combined primary Arabic historical and biographical sources with Christian Spanish chronicles and modern European historiography . He drew directly on unpublished manuscripts held in European and North African repositories, including the Escorial Library, the Royal Library in Madrid, and the library of the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez .
Among the manuscript sources he examined was the fifth volume (al-Sifr al-Khamis) of Ibn Hayyan's chronicle in the Royal Library in Madrid, from which he extracted and published official documents such as the epistle of Caliph Abd al-Rahman III (al-Nasir) concerning Ibn Masarra and his official report on the Battle of al-Khandaq . His Arabic sources also included classical works by Ibn Khaldun, Ibn al-Athir, Ibn Idhari, Ibn Bashkuwal, Ibn Hazm, and al-Maqqari .
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