AL-ANDALUS IN IBN KHALDUN'S MUQADDIMAH

Abstract

Drawing from the original Arabic text of the Muqaddimah, this study examines the way in which Ibn Khaldun conceived of al-Andalus from different perspectives as a geographical, historical and political entity. This analysis shows how the Tunisian author drew political parallels among other nations of the known world and with the use of various references to Andalusi contemporary reality, he was able to highlight various historical dynamics, describe different phases of civilization and explain the administrative structure of power. His deep understanding of the civilizations of the Mediterranean, together with his personal knowledge of the Arab-Islamic West, lead the Tunisian historian to pursue a total history. Despite being conceived as a civilization in decline during the lifetime of the author, al-Andalus is a fundamental piece in the puzzle that explains economic, sociological and cultural phenomena, as well as a crucial link between two historical realities: the great Islamic dynasties on the one hand and the Christian and Ottoman powers on the other.