Las primeras mezquitas de al-Andalus a través de las fuentes árabes (92/711 – 170/785)

Abstract

The narratives recorded in the Arabic sources –especially those written by Andalusis– regarding the first religious foundations in al-Andalus are collected in this article. The reports dealing with the conquest show similarities with the model of Islamization already followed in other areas of the Islamic Mediterranean, as well as with the Arabic historiography of the Futuh. Given the need for religious prestige and political legitimacy, the authors insist on certain aspects such as on the orientation of the first mosques, attributed to Musa or the Tabi,un, or on the destruction of churches in order to build mosques on their sites. In these reports, however, we find scarce data on the architectonic characteristics of these firts Andalusi oratories, so that the information provided by archaeology becomes indispensable. The case of the Cordoban mosque proofs the importance of analyzing together the data from both literary sources and archaelogy.