The Moorish Conquest

<p>Step into the dawn of Islamic Iberia where conquest culture and coexistence forged one of history's most dazzling civilizations. In <em>The Foundations: A History of Al-Andalus</em> the first volume of <em>The Moorish Chronicles</em> historian Peter Houghton delivers a vivid meticulously researched account of the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 CE and the rise of Al-Andalus a society that shaped Spain for nearly eight centuries.</p><p></p><p>From Tariq ibn Ziyad's daring landing at Gibraltar to the collapse of the Visigothic kingdom and from rivalries between Arab and Berber factions to the visionary reign of Abd al-Rahman I-the Falcon of Quraysh-this book traces how a fractured province evolved into a beacon of learning architecture and multicultural exchange.</p><p></p><p>Readers will explore:</p><p></p><ul><li>The political chaos that left Visigothic Spain vulnerable</li><li>The lightning-fast conquest that stunned Christendom</li><li>Córdoba's rise as a rival to Baghdad and Constantinople</li><li>The delicate balance of <em>convivencia</em> among Muslims Christians and Jews</li><li>The Umayyad Emirate's defiance of the Abbasid Caliphate</li><li></li></ul><p>Blending military history cultural insight and geopolitical analysis <em>The Foundations</em> sets the stage for an epic two-part chronicle-continued in <em>The Christian Kings</em>-revealing how Spain's identity was forged in faith ambition and resilience. Ideal for readers of <em>The Ornament of the World</em> <em>SPQR</em> or <em>The Crusades</em> this is history as a living drama of human triumph and fragility.</p><p></p>