Spain and North Africa: Islamic Archaeology

Introduction and Definition

Interest in the western Islamic world, essentially the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa, is long standing. The presence of well-preserved buildings and monuments and numerous works of art has generated a particular approach since the mid-nineteenth century, sometimes close to exoticism. Appreciation of the arts and antiquities of these societies, whether wiped out and existing only in memory as is the case with Spain, or still present as with North Africa, contributed to the considerable increase and development of studies on Islamic history in these regions. Without doubt, in the case of North Africa, the fact that the area had fallen under the control of Western political powers, mainly France and Spain, helped the development of research, although frequently with a focus on local custom.

However, archaeology was involved only slightly in this process of historical reconstruction until well into the twentieth century. Indeed, at least regarding Spain, it...