Statue of Ibn Hazm, a 10thC Muslim philosopher in kortoba -Corboba
Statue of Averros, a medieval Muslim philosopher (1126-1198) famous throughout the Islamic World
'Abd ar-Rahman conquered Córdoba to found the Umayyad dynasty of al-Andalus, ..
A self-depiction by the Muslims in Iberia. Taken from the Tale of Bayad and Riyad.
Hadith Bayāḍ wa Riyāḍ (Arabic,حديث بياض ورياض The Story of Bayad and Riyad) or Qissat Bayad wa Riyad is a 13th-century Arabic love story. The main characters of the tale are Bayad, a merchant's son and a foreigner from Damascus, Riyad, a well educated girl in the court of an unnamed Hajib (vizier or minister) of 'Iraq (Mesopotamia) and a "Lady" (al-sayyida).
The Hadith Bayad wa Riyad manuscript is believed to be the only illustrated manuscript known to have survived from more than eight centuries of Muslim and Arab presence in Spain. The sole manuscript is in the Vatican Library, where it is catalogued as Codex Vat. Arabo 368.
Conversion to Islam translated into a higher rate of social mobility for Christians and Jews alike. There is little documentation available to indicate the conversion rates of Jews in Al-Andalus, although the numbers of Jewish converts have been estimated as relatively small. This is perhaps due to the tightly knit Jewish communities that had formed before the Muslim invasion.
Christians on the other hand were more eager to convert to Islam. Many wished to secure higher ranking government positions; while others took such liking to Islamic teaching and culture that they felt compelled to convert. Half of the Christians in Al-Andalus are reported to have converted to Islam by the 10th century, with more than 80% by the 11th century. Many Christians who did not accept Islam as their religion became increasingly Arabized in terms of culture. These Christians, known as Mozarabs or musta’ribs, a word meaning ‘Arabized’, adopted the Arabic language and customs.[7] Although the high conversion rates, as well as the adaptation of Arab culture homogenized the society of Al-Andalus to a degree, factionalism still persisted, which lead to occasional revolts and conflicts between the major religious groups.