Umayyad Legacies: Medieval Memories from Syria to Spain

Brill's Islamic History and Civilization

by Antoine Borrut (Editor), Paul Cobb (Editor), Hilary Kilpatrick

The Umayyads, the first dynasty of Islam, ruled over a vast empire from their central province of Syria, providing a line of caliphs from 661 to 750. Another branch later ruled in al-Andalus Islamic Spain from 756 to 1031, ruling first as emirs and then as caliphs themselves. This book is the first to bring together studies of this far-flung family and treat it not as two unrelated caliphates but as a single enterprise. Yet for all that historians have made note of Umayyad accomplishments in the Near East and al-Andalus, Umayyad legacies what later generations made of these caliphs and their achievements are poorly understood. Building on new interest in the study of memory and Islamic historiography and including interdisciplinary perspectives from Arabic literature, art, and archaeology, this book highlights Umayyad achievements and the shaping of our knowledge of the Umayyad past.

Genres: Islam, History

580 pages, Hardcover

First published June 10, 2010

Reviews

[Fadi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read despite not being able to read half the articles which are in French. It's given me a sense of appreciation for the dynasty between the turbulent establishment of Islam and its golden age under the Abassids.

A focus on the literary, artistic and architectural legacy sheds light on the Umayyad reign. This can be difficult given the suppression and spoiling of their name by their successors, in turn leading to their obscurity in popular culture.

Thanks to the efforts of researchers, the rulers become human again and we are given insight into their aspirations, shortfalls and anxieties. A particular example of this is the Andalusian branch of the Umayyads which sought to emulate their Syrian homeland:

"Abd al-Rahmān I, who founded Umayyad rule in the Iberian Peninsula, used the tree as a code in his poetry:

A palm tree I beheld in al-Rusāfa,
Far in the west, far from the palm tree land:
I said: you, like myself, are far away from my people!
You grew up in a land where you are a stranger,
And like myself, are living in the farthest corner of the earth."

Before this exile, it's also been suggested or demonstrated that the Umayyads were responsible for codifying or ritualising many of the practices taken for granted in Islam.

I'll conclude here and leave the rest for readers to discover.

[Aamer Mogul · Rating 4 out of 5]

its hard read but very informative and author has done massive research to deliver another prospective on Umayyad unpolluted by Abbasid propaganda. Not recommended as first read on Umayad as one should have prior understanding to comprehend author's work.