Nel Medioevo, la Penisola Iberica era influenzata dalle culture più disparate. Dopo la conquista musulmana di gran parte della penisola nell'VIII secolo, regni cristiani e regni musulmani, in cui erano presenti forti comunità ebraiche, coesistevano sul territorio. Ne conseguì un fruttuoso scambio culturale anche se i conflitti e la lotta per la supremazia politica rimasero all'ordine del giorno. Il patrimonio architettonico, artistico e scientifico di questo periodo conferma la ricchezza e i legami interculturali che caratterizzano questa regione.
Sevilla, 1226
Parchment
München, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, Cod. arab. 1, fol. 2r–3v
This magnificent Koran is decorated with gold ornaments in a geometric pattern. It represents the cultural flourishing of al-Andalus, the part of the Iberian Peninsula dominated by Muslims since the 8th century. It is one of the few Qur’ans that have survived from this multicultural region with its rich Muslim tradition. When the Christian King Ferdinand III of Castile conquered Seville in 1248, many Muslims fled to North Africa. Among them was the owner of this Qur’an manuscript made in Seville. In 1535, the Qur’an fell into the hands of Emperor Charles V there and finally came to the Bavarian State Library in Munich.
Ceramic fragment with Hebrew inscription (1), three gold rings (2–4) and one silver ring with Arabic engraving (5)
Bareclona, 14th c. (1), grave find from the cemetery on Montjuïc, 13th–14th c. (2-5)
Ceramic (1), gold (2), gold, chiselled, niello (3), gold, chiselled, gemstone (4), silver, chiselled (5)
Barcelona, Museu d’Història de Barcelona, Inv. MHCB31784 (1); Inv. MHCB00460 (2); Inv. MHC00459 (3); Inv. MHCB00457 (4); Inv. MHCB00458 (5)
Barcelona had an important Jewish community in the Middle Ages. This presence is attested by written sources as well as by numerous archaeological finds of Jewish life and urban architecture. The ceramic fragment with a Hebrew inscription (1) represents everyday Jewish life. The inscription “beef” refers to the preparation of kosher food, for which different sets of pots and dishes were required. The rings shown, on the other hand, come from a burial context. They were found in the Jewish cemetery on Montjuïc (“Mountain of the Jews”). The grave goods testify to the wealth of the buried people. The silver ring with an Arabic inscription (“luck”/”health”) shows the mixing of different traditions and languages on the Iberian Peninsula.
Toledo, 11th c.
Carved marble
Barcelona, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Inv. MNAC 024194-000
This finely worked marble fragment is part of a group of reliefs that probably originate from the royal palace of Toledo. It bears witness to the cultural, scientific and artistic flourishing of the Taifa kingdom of Toledo. The taifas, the Muslim kingdoms that developed after the collapse of the Caliphate of Cordoba, were characterised by great dynamism: artists could draw on a rich artistic heritage and combined it with new ideas, forms and techniques from the Mediterranean. The fragment presents intertwined plants and birds – probably birds of prey – twisting their necks and turning towards each other.
Córdoba, 975–976
Wood, silk, silver niello (gilded) and gold
Girona, Museu Tresor de la Catedral, Inv. TCG 147
This casket is probably the best surviving Andalusian goldsmith’s work. It was commissioned by the Caliph al-Hakam II (d. 976) as a gift for his son Prince Hisham. It propably was meant to hold precious materials like textiles and silks or important documents. Later, the precious casket became part of the cathedral treasure of Girona. There, it was used as a reliquary. The Muslim origin of the box is unmistakable and is reflected in the Kufic inscription that reads “(...) The blessing of God (...) on the servant of God al-Hakam, prince of the faithful. (...) [He] ordered this to be made for (...) Hisham, heir to the covenant of the Muslims. (...)“.
Saragossa, 1079/80
Brass, engraved
Nuremberg, Germanisches Nationalmuseum, Inv. WI 353
This ancient astronomical instrument, with which star positions, cardinal points and times could be calculated, is one of the few surviving Ibero-Arab astrolabes from the 11th century. The five inset plates (tympans) with different circles denote azimuth and altitude and represent the portion of the celestial sphere above the local horizon. In this case, the coordinates allowed its use in North Africa and Southern Europe. The astrolabe in question is an example of the transfer of knowledge from Ancient Greek to Arab scholars, who further developed the instrument. Through them, this knowledge spread to Europe via the Iberian Peninsula and Sicily. Since the 14th century, there is evidence of a European manufacturing tradition.
The Nuremberg astrolabe was allegedly acquired at a flea market in Rome in 1890. The name of the original owner (or maker) was probably Ahmad Ibn Muhammad al-Naqqash, whose name is angraved in Arabic on the back of the instrument. This was not unusual as their makers usually signed astrolabes and sometimes the name of a patron or the name of the reigning sultan was also engraved. Moreover, the date of the instrument’s construction were recorded. On this astrolabe were subsequently added engravings in Latin scripts such as symbols for the signs of the zodiac or abbreviations of the month. These prove that the piece was later used outside the Iberian Peninsula and the Arab world.