Spanish Historian Offers Fresh Perspective in The Court of the Umayyad Caliphate of al-Andalus

The Court of the Caliphate of al-Andalus, by Spanish historian Eduardo Manzano Moreno, an expert on Islamic Spain, paints a vivid picture of the court of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba. In the 10th century CE, Córdoba enjoyed its Golden Age under al-Hakam II, son of ‘Abd al-Rahman III, the Umayyad emir who in 929 CE transformed al-Andalus into a caliphate for nearly 150 years, due to “the internal peace and widespread prosperity” found throughout. Córdoba, seat of the caliphate, reached its zenith under al-Hakam II, who reigned for 15 years, between 961 CE-976 CE. As impressive as al-Hakam II’s resume was—he expanded Córdoba’s main mosque, the fortress-palace of Madinat al-Zahra and its caliphal library—few records beyond the court records of Umayyad court scribe ‘Isa ibn Ahmad al-Razi exist, Reports on the Kings of Spain, the contemporaneous 130-folio chronicle written in Arabic on which this work relies. Moreno masterfully gives life to al-Razi’s observations of Córdoba. He adroitly picks up on the nuances of al-Razi’s anecdotal evidence that otherwise may escape a reader. Nearly lost for 900 years, till their discovery in the late 1800s, these annals reveal in detail the ruling Umayyad court in Córdoba from 971 CE–975 CE. Al-Razi’s observations of al-Hakam II’s reign, later reproduced in detail by 10th-century-CE al-Andalus historian Ibn Hayyan in his Muqtabis, a compilation of historical accounts, open a rare window into life of Islamic Spain under the Umayyads.