Crucible of Light: Islam and the forging of Europe from the 8th to the 21st Century

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Rethinking the history of the last thirteen centuries, in Crucible of Light, Elizabeth Drayson pulls together the epic interwoven history of the Muslim and Christian worlds. Focusing on major turning points, individual stories and key places, from Mecca to Cordoba, from Damascus to Venice, and from Vienna to Istanbul, Drayson tracks the themes that unite us - classical learning preserved in Islamic libraries, the enduring influence of Moorish architecture and design, the food we share, the goods we have traded and the continuing dialogue between individuals and cultures that has permeated Europe's history and shaped its borders. It is a history that sweeps across cities and continents, from Spanish patios and palaces to Ottoman-inspired coffee houses in 17th century London, to the Mezquita in Cordoba, once a mosque, now a cathedral, the physical embodiment of the ongoing discourse that continues to shape European identity.

Reviews

Absolutely fascinating. At a time when ahistorical Christian Nationalism and chauvinism are gaining ground, this book arrives as an essential corrective. -- Andrew Copson, author of What I Believe

Author Bio

Elizabeth Drayson is Emeritus Fellow in Spanish at Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge. She specializes in medieval and early modern Spanish literature and cultural history, and has a particular interest in the Arabic, Jewish, and Christian cultures of medieval and Golden Age Spain. Her books include The Moor's Last Stand, which featured among The Times and the Sunday Times History Books of the Year 2017, and Lost Paradise: the story of Granada. She is also a central figure in a major European-wide research project charting the legacy of Islam in eastern Europe in the twentieth century.