A History of Early Al-Andalus

The Akhb-r majm-'a, or 'Collected Accounts', deal with the Muslim conquest of the Iberian peninsula in 711 and subsequent events in al-Andalus, down to and including the reign of 'Abd al-Rahm-n III (912-961), founder of the Umayyad caliphate of al-Andalus . No Arabic text dealing with the early history of al-Andalus has aroused more controversy, and its contents and origin have occupied the attention of leading scholars of Islamic Spain since its publication in 1867.
This book gives the first complete English translation of this key contemporary text, together with notes, comments, appendices and maps. It is introduced by a survey of scholarly opinion on the text from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century in which all the - often heated - arguments around the text are explained. The translator concludes his introduction with an in-depth examination of the manuscript containing the only surviving copy of the text and presents some interesting new evidence provided by scribe which has gone unnoticed until now. Providing new insights into this significant Arabic text, this book will be of great interest to scholars of the history of Spain and Portugal, Islamic history, and Mediaeval European history.

While writing his first novel, A Flower in Winter, David became immersed in the world of its characters. "They became friends, invited me to share their lives, took me on their adventures, and asked nothing except that I record what they told me and what I observed." David was 80 when A Flower in Winter was published in December 2024. Two years and two books later, he has now started on his fourth novel while also developing the plot of a thriller set in a remote corner of Scotland."Researching, feeding information to the characters, and recording their actions and reactions is a wonderful diversion." David's upbringing in a service family led him to a lifetime of service to Queen and Country whether or not in uniform: working with young people, many disadvantaged; at sea under sail; running three National youth charities, and also in his own business. COVID put an end to David's formal working life, giving him instead the time and opportunity to escape into the world of his imagination. A misheard story led to A Flower in Winter; favourable reviews encouraged him to write the sequels."Being old lends a certain urgency to getting these stories written."

Introduction: The Akhb-r majm-'a: Study and Speculation. Translation: The Akhb-r majm-'a. 'Collected Accounts' of the years 86-350/705-961 1. The Conquest and the Rule of the Governors of Damascus 2. The Civil Wars 3. The Annals of 'Abd al-Rahm-n I 4. Scenes from the Lives of the Umayyad Emirs 5. The Caliph of al-Andalus Appendix i: Introductory Words, Phases and Headings given in Coloured Thulth and their Location in Lafuente y Alcántara (1867), Arabic text, page number and line. Appendix ii: The Governors (w-lin pl. wul-h) of al-Andalus. Appendix iii: M-'idat Sulaym-n, the 'Table of Solomon': What was it?