The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval SpainThis classic bestseller — the inspiration for the PBS series — is an "illuminating and even inspiring" portrait of medieval Spain that explores the golden age when Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in an atmosphere of tolerance (Los Angeles Times). This enthralling history, widely hailed as a revelation of a "lost" golden age, brings to vivid life the rich and thriving culture of medieval Spain, where for more than seven centuries Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in an atmosphere of tolerance, and where literature, science, and the arts flourished. "It is no exaggeration to say that what we presumptuously call 'Western' culture is owed in large measure to the Andalusian enlightenment...This book partly restores a world we have lost." —Christopher Hitchens, The Nation |
Contents
Cordoba 786 | |
MOTHER TONGUES | |
A GRAND VIZIER A GRAND CITY | |
THE GARDENS OF MEMORY | |
VICTORIOUS IN EXILE | |
Other editions - View all
The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a ... Maria Rosa Menocal No preview available - 2002 |
The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a ... Maria Rosa Menocal No preview available - 2014 |
The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a ... Maria Rosa Menocal No preview available - 2009 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbasids Abd al-Rahman Abelard al-Andalus Alfonso Alhambra Almohads Almoravids Alvarus Andalusian Arabic armies astrolabe Averroes Baghdad Barbastro became began Berber caliphate called capital Castile Castilian Cervantes Christian Church civilization Cluny complex Cordoba court Damascus empire Europe eventually exile faith famous Ferdinand Frederick Granada Greek Hasdai hundred Iberian Ibn Hazm Ibn Khaldun intellectual Islamic polity Islamic Spain Islamic world Jewish community Jews Judah Halevi Khazars king kingdom land language later Latin libraries lived Madinat al-Zahra Maimonides medieval Spain memory palaces Menocal military monarchs Moriscos Moses mosque Mozarab Muhammad Muslim Nagid Nasrids Normans once peninsula perhaps Peter Petrus Petrus’s philosophical poems poetic poets political powerful Pyrenees Quran religion religious rival Rodrigo Roman Samuel the Nagid Seville songs sort story style synagogue taifas texts things Toledo tolerance tradition translation twelfth century Umayyad universe vernacular Visigothic vision vizier writing wrote