Is Fascination with Al Andalus' ‘Golden Period’ Escapism or a Solution to the Tumultuous Turmoils of Modern Arab Society?

 

There is much nostalgia and reverence for "golden age" periods like Al-Andalus, especially in art and literature, which are always invoked during conflicts like the Arab-Israeli wars. The "Golden Age" of Al-Andalus (Andalusia) is often associated with the 10th and 11th centuries, particularly during the rule of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba, which represents one of the most culturally and intellectually vibrant eras in European and Islamic history. Students and scholars of Arab and Islamic history often focus on the peaceful coexistence between Muslims, Christians, and Jews. They also reference the growth of art and literature. At the same time, historians warn against romanticizing the past because contemporary problems cannot be solved by looking backward.

 

Perhaps frustrations and anxieties over problems plaguing Arab societies today have reignited the yearning for the ‘lost paradise’ of Andalusia and its allure of peace, coexistence, and explosion of the arts. As disenchantment with the current state of the Arab world rises, a growing desire to recover this legacy of glory and perfection also rises. However, some ask a different question: throughout the centuries that have passed since the end of that era, why has the Arab world failed to replicate Andalusia’s success?