Dispelling the myths that the Middle Ages were rife with religious persecution and intellectual stagnation, a mesmerizing glimpse into the world of medieval Spain reveals a culture where literature, science, and tolerance thrived for five hundred years. Reprint. 25,000 first printing * How Muslims, Jews and Christians created a culture of tolerance in medieval Spain. List of Maps x Foreword xi Harold Bloom A Note on Transliterations and Non-English Names xv BEGINNINGS 3(12) A BRIEF HISTORY OF A FIRST-RATE PLACE 15(36) THE PALACES OF MEMORY 51(215) The Mosque and the Palm Tree 53(13) Cordoba 786 Mother Tongues 66(13) Cordoba 855 A Grand Vizier, A Grand City 79(12) Cordoba 949 The Gardens of Memory 91(10) Madinat al-Zahra, South of Cordoba, 1009 Victorious in Exile 101(11) The Battlefield at Argona, Between Cordoba and Granada, 1041 Love and Its Songs 112(18) Niebla, Just West of Seville, on the Road to Huelva, August 1064 Barbastro, in the Foothills of the Pyrenees, on the Road to Saragossa, August 1064 The Church at the Top of the Hill 130(17) Toledo, 1085 An Andalusian in London 147(11) Huesca, 1106 Sailing Away, Riding Away 158(16) Alexandria, 1140 The Abbot and the Quran 174(15) Cluny, 1142 Gifts 189(12) Sicily, 1236 Cordoba, 1236 Granada, 1236 Banned in Paris 201(15) Paris, 1277 Visions of Other Worlds 216(13) Avila, 1305 Foreign Dignitaries at the Courts of Castile 229(15) Seville, 1364 Toledo, 1364 In the Alhambra 244(9) Granada, 1492 Somewhere in La Mancha 253(13) 1605 Epilogue: Andalusian Shards 266(16) Postscript 282(2) Other Readings 284(9) Thanks 293(6) Index 299