‘Original source Literature about the Civilization of Al -Andalus.’

Posted on by

AI – ‘While it is a historic tragedy that massive public book burnings—such as Cardinal Cisneros’s infamous 1499 bonfire in Granada’s Bib-Rambla square—destroyed vast quantities of Islamic text, original literature from Al-Andalus survived through strategic smuggling, migration, international trade, and academic preservation. 

ResearchGate +2

Today, thousands of original Andalusi manuscripts, records, and translated works are preserved across global institutions. 

YouTube·NYUAD Institute

How the Literature Survived

  • Hidden Domestic Caches: Fleeing or forcibly converted Muslims (Moriscos) hid books behind false walls, beneath floorboards, and inside roofs. These architectural time capsules are still occasionally discovered in Spanish towns today.
  • The North African Migration: As Christian forces advanced, thousands of Andalusi scholars, scientists, and families fled to North Africa (the Maghreb), packing their libraries onto ships.
  • The Toledo Translation Movement: In the 12th and 13th centuries, scholars in Toledo actively translated Arabic texts into Latin and Romance languages. While the Arabic originals were often subsequently lost or destroyed, their contents were structurally preserved in European university networks.
  • Royal Appropriations: Some Christian monarchs and elite collectors kept Andalusi books as spoils of war, curiosity items, or scientific resources rather than burning them. 

University of Cambridge +4

Where the Literature Exists Today

The remaining primary source literature is distributed across several critical global hubs:

1. Spain (The Domestically Preserved Legacy)

  • The Royal Library of San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Madrid): This is the most significant repository of Arabic manuscripts in Spain. King Philip II systematically collected surviving texts, including a massive haul captured from a Moroccan royal vessel in 1612.
  • The School of Arabic Studies / CSIC (Granada): Houses critical texts, including copies of Ibn Khaldun’s Prolegomena.
  • The National Library of Spain (Madrid): Contains key historical and literary documents, such as works by the famous Granada statesman Ibn al-Khatib. 

El legado andalusi +1

2. North Africa and the Middle East (The Refugee Repositories)

  • The Khazanat al-Qarawiyyin (Feat, Morocco): Founded in the 9th century, this library holds priceless Andalusi manuscripts brought over by waves of Iberian refugees, covering law, medicine, astronomy, and philosophy.
  • The National Library of the Kingdom of Morocco (Rabat): Houses massive collections of late Andalusi and Morisco legal and literary texts.
  • The Library of Alexandria (Egypt): Preserves significant historical records detailing the life and administration of Islamic Spain. 

El legado andalusi

3. Rest of Europe and North America (The Academic and Diplomatic Collections)

  • The Bibliothèque Nationale de France (Paris): Holds extensive collections of Arabic manuscripts acquired through centuries of Mediterranean trade and diplomacy.
  • The Leiden University Library (Netherlands): Famous for its early and highly curated collection of Middle Eastern and Andalusi texts.
  • Princeton University Library (USA): Houses one of the largest Islamic manuscript collections in the West, which includes valuable intellectual texts tracing directly back to Iberian scholars.’

YouTube·Casa Árabe +3

Digital Research Tools

If you want to view these primary sources online, researchers heavily rely on specialized global databases:

The Al-Furqān Islamic Heritage Foundation is a London-based, non-profit organisation dedicated to documenting, preserving, and archiving Islamic written heritage globally. 

Wikipedia +1

Established in 1988 by the late Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani—the former Saudi Arabian oil minister—the foundation works to safeguard historic Islamic texts and make them accessible to international researchers and the general public. 

Wikipedia +1

Core Centers of Operation

The foundation executes its mission through three specialised academic centres: 

Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation +2

  • The Manuscript Centre: Formed in 1991, this centre focuses on surveying, imaging, cataloguing, and publishing vulnerable and rare Islamic manuscripts. It helps preserve collections that are underfunded or endangered.
  • The Maqasid Centre: Formally known as the Centre for the Study of the Philosophy of Islamic Law, this unit promotes research that links traditional Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh) to the higher intents and core objectives (maqāṣid) of Islamic law.
  • The Mawsoa Centre: Formally titled the Centre for the Encyclopedia of Makkah and Madinah, this centre compiles historical literature, historical references, and data to produce a comprehensive enclyclopedia on the two holy cities. 

LinkedIn·Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation +4

Key Projects and Resources

  • World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts: This is the foundation’s pioneering, flagship bibliographical work. It comprehensively catalogues collections of Islamic manuscripts written in various languages across more than 90 countries.
  • Al-Furqān Digital Library: An interactive online portal that offers open access to several massive repositories. This database includes the World Collections databank, a comprehensive bibliography of Islamic law philosophy, and digital manuscript catalogues.
  • London Reference Library: Located at their central office, the foundation hosts a physical research space housing roughly 30,000 volumes. This includes specialized linguistic tools, biographical dictionaries, and over 15,000 printed manuscript catalogues from 70+ countries.
  • Academic Events & Training: Al-Furqān routinely hosts public lectures, international symposia, and runs academic training courses designed to teach younger scholars disappearing techniques in manuscript editing and cataloguing. 

Wikipedia +7

To explore their research or search their catalogued materials, you can access the Al-Furqān Digital Library Portal directly. 

Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation

Would you like to know more about how to access their digital archives, or are you interested in their specific publications on Islamic law philosophy?’