I'm heading to Spain and wanted to read this book to get a better idea of the history of medieval Spain. This is a very interesting book about the culture of tolerance that once existed in Spain as the three major world religions worked side by side. I enjoyed the vignettes of different historical figures, and felt devastated when I read how the Jews and Muslims were ultimately expelled by Queen Isabella. The book is told with snippets of stories of different historical people and major events. The author jumps around a bit with flashbacks that left me a bit confused from time to time, but over all it is a very good book that leaves me better informed for my trip.My favorite was a poem by Abd al-Rahman, the man who began the Muslim Empire in Spain:
A palm tree stands in the middle of Rusafa,
Born in the West, far from the land of palms.
I said to it: How like me you are, far away and in exile,
In long separation from family and friends.
You have sprung from soil in which you are a stranger,
And I like you, am far from home.
Born in the West, far from the land of palms.
I said to it: How like me you are, far away and in exile,
In long separation from family and friends.
You have sprung from soil in which you are a stranger,
And I like you, am far from home.
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