The Civilization of the Caliphate of Cordoba in the Time of Abd-al-Rahman III (detail) by Dionisio Baixeras Verdaguer, 1885 (University of Barcelona)
Please Note: This program has a rescheduled date (originally July 16, 2025).
From the 8th to the 14th centuries, Andalusia—Spain under Muslim rule—flourished as an artistic, cultural, scientific, and intellectual hub for the Mediterranean world. Jewish, Christian, and Islamic artisans, translators, philosophers, architects, and scientists all contributed to a vibrant cultural exchange, mostly supported by the ruling Muslim caliphs.
Art reached unparalleled heights, blending Islamic design, Christian symbolism, and Jewish expressiveness in its aesthetic. The famed mezquitas (mosques), such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba, are a case in point: Horseshoe arches come from the Christian Visigoths, intricate arabesques from the Arabs, and stunning mosaics from the Romans, who had occupied the territories since the Emperor Augustus in 19 B.C.E. Jewish and Christian artisans often collaborated with Muslim ones, sharing techniques in building, metalwork, textiles, and manuscript illumination. The 14th- and 15th-century Jewish haggadot—texts that narrate the Passover Seder—could be elaborately decorated with Islamic motifs, and often illuminated by Christian artists. This synergistic collaboration was also evident in poetry and music: The Andalusian muwashshah is a lyrical form blending Arabic and Hebrew. These innovations influenced later Gothic and Romanesque architecture across Europe.
Despite periodic setbacks of injustice and abuse, Andalusia under Muslim rule remains a testament to the power of diversity and collaboration—and the tragedy of periodic intolerance, especially the period’s final demise when Catholic monarchs expelled all Jews and Muslims in 1492. Art historian Louisa Woodville discusses the region’s artistic legacy as well as that of this unique convergence of cultures.
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