Why did Al-Andalus become cosmopolitan?

Upvote:0

I would like to add more information on the "urban centers under Muslim rule". While Al-Andalus was one of the more cosmopolitan civilizations of the Medieval era, there were other Muslim cities that shared a similar cosmopolitanism. Cities, such as Baghdad, Cairo and Fes, (and even some cities in Uzbekistan), were highly advanced in architecture, mathematics and particularly, medicine. Yes, Cordoba, as well as the Castilian city of Toledo, were well known for their Luminaries and Sophisticates, however, these 2 Medieval Iberian Muslim cities were part of a much larger cosmopolitan culture that literally spanned continents.

Upvote:8

I don't have much relevant expertise, but am inclined to question the uniqueness of Al-Andalus on both points.

First, the case can be made that Islam in general was more tolerant of Jews than Christian rulers were. The Wikipedia article on the Muslim concept of dhimmi or "protected peoples" quotes a scholar who asserts:

The legal and security situation of the Jews in the Muslim world was generally better than in Christendom, because in the former, Jews were not the sole "infidels", because in comparison to the Christians, Jews were less dangerous and more loyal to the Muslim regime, and because the rapidity and the territorial scope of the Muslim conquests imposed upon them a reduction in persecution and a granting of better possibility for the survival of members of other faiths in their lands.

Secondly, my impressions is that patronage for the arts and sciences was also generally strong in many urban centers under Muslim rule. See, for example, the Wikipedia article on science in the medieval Islamic world. In that larger context, Al-Andalus does not stand out as particularly central.

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