Ramon Llull And The Islamic Culture Of The Mediterranean

Abstract

Cultural interchanges have often taken place because of physical occupation of the land. The Islamic presence in the Iberian Peninsula, as is well known, dates from the year 92/711 when Arab and Berber troops landed near Gibraltar. Arabic culture was superior to the culture in the Northern kingdoms and Arabic science was frequently translated into Latin on both sides of the Pyrenees. The Mediterranean Sea linked its territories as well as its trade centers, many of which were in Islamic countries. Arab civilization influenced Catalan culture to a lesser degree than the Castilian, because the former used to draw heavily on the French Latin civilization. One can find great familiarity with the Arabic and Islamic culture in two major Catalan authors: Ramon Llull and Anselm Turmeda. To some extent Llull found his inspiration in the main personage of the Roman du Renart . Keywords: Anselm Turmeda; Arabic culture; Catalan culture; French Latin civilization; Islamic culture; Mediterranean sea; Ramon Llull