Nasrid Granada: The Case for Spain’s Cross-Cultural Identity

Elizabeth Drayson

doi:10.3390/histories2010007

Abstract

For 2000 years, the history of Granada has been the story of its peoples—native Iberian, Roman, Jewish, Muslim, Christian and gypsy—who bequeathed a multi-cultural heritage to the city, forged by momentous racial, religious and political conflicts. That heritage is central to Spain’s vexed quest for its own identity, and pre-eminent in that quest is the encounter between Islam and Christianity that took place there. Based on historical sources including oral and written testimonies, early historiography and contemporary historical views, this article considers the answers to two key questions, with specific reference to the Nasrid dynasty of Granada: (i) how did the Nasrids contribute to the culture of Andalusia and the late medieval Mediterranean, and (ii) was religious difference an obstacle to cultural dialogue in Granada in the late Middle Ages? The contention is that Granada’s importance as a meeting place between Islam and Christianity hinges on its apparent transition from Muslim state to Christian enclave, an event crucial to our understanding of the history of the Iberian Peninsula, and also of Europe.

Highlights

Roman, Jewish, Muslim, Christian and gypsy—who bequeathed a multi-cultural heritage to the city, forged by momentous racial, religious and political conflicts
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations
This article considers the answers to two key questions, with specific reference to the Nasrid dynasty of Muslim rulers of Granada: first, how did the Nasrids contribute to the medieval culture of Andalusia in their creation of an Arabic-speaking Islamic state in a distant outpost of western Europe?

Summary

Introduction

Jewish, Muslim, Christian and gypsy—who bequeathed a multi-cultural heritage to the city, forged by momentous racial, religious and political conflicts. Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Results

Conclusion