Al-Andalus: eight centuries from Cordoba to Granada
Grade 11 · World History to the End of the Fifteenth Century, Grade 11, University/College Preparation · 75 min · standard
Mapped by the museum, not endorsed by the Ministry.
A CHW3M pathway on al-Andalus: Umayyad Cordoba, its mosque and library, Ziryab and Ibn Rushd, the coexistence and tension of three faiths, then Granada, the Alhambra and the end of the emirate in 1492.
Curriculum mapping
- Ontario, Canada
- World History to the End of the Fifteenth Century, Grade 11, University/College Preparation CHW3M
- Grade
- 11
- Strand
- C · Flourishing Societies and Civilizations
- Overall expectations
- C3, E1
- What the lesson does, in the museum's words
- The lesson presents al-Andalus as a flourishing civilisation of a European region and a period from 711 to 1492, focusing on the contribution of individuals (Ziryab, Ibn Rushd) and groups (Muslims, Christians and Jews) to its identity and culture, then on its legacy in architecture, philosophy and science. Tensions between the groups are shown as the sources relate them, without a verdict.
- Curriculum document consulted
- The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 11 and 12: Canadian and World Studies, 2015
- Codes checked on
- 23 October 2026 CE · 12 Jumada I 1448 AH†
Mapped by the museum, not endorsed by the Ministry.
Lesson goal
Students assess the contribution of individuals and groups to the identity and culture of a flourishing Andalusi society, and analyse its cultural and political legacy in Europe and the Muslim world.
Seventy-five minutes. The question of 'coexistence' is discussed from the museum's sources in the form 'what do the sources say', not 'who was right'; the museum gives no verdict and students learn to do the same.
Print the pack: teacher page, worksheet and answer key Classroom quiz Walk this pathway
Lesson steps
Walk this pathway
8steps · 75min · teacher · student · standard
What is al-Andalus?
The name of the land Muslims ruled in the Iberian peninsula from 711 to 1492.
Umayyad Cordoba
A prince fleeing Damascus builds a state, and a caliphate is proclaimed in 929.
The Great Mosque of Cordoba
A building enlarged in stages over two centuries: architecture as politics.
The palace library
Al-Hakam's library: what the sources say about its size, and what did not survive.
Ziryab
A musician from Baghdad changes Andalusi taste: music, food and dress.
Ibn Rushd
A judge and philosopher whose commentaries on Aristotle Latin Europe read.
Granada
The last Muslim emirate in al-Andalus as the land shrank.
The Alhambra
Palace, fortress and city: ornament, water and calligraphy.
What you now know
Mastery check
Five questions on what you walked through. Marked on your device; nothing is kept but the stamp in your passport when you pass.
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Answer key (for the teacher)
- Between which years did Muslims rule land in the Iberian peninsula? — 711–1492(Learn it at step 1: What is al-Andalus?)
- Why was the Great Mosque of Cordoba enlarged repeatedly? — The city grew and rulers displayed their power(Learn it at step 3: The Great Mosque of Cordoba)
- Who was Ziryab? — A musician from Baghdad who changed Andalusi taste(Learn it at step 5: Ziryab)
- For what was Ibn Rushd known among Europeans? — His commentaries on Aristotle(Learn it at step 6: Ibn Rushd)
- What is the Alhambra? — A palace and fortress in Granada(Learn it at step 8: The Alhambra)
Tell it back
Tell what you learned in your own words. What you write stays on this device only, and no one else reads it.
- I can place al-Andalus in time and space and name its main phases.
- I can assess the contribution of at least two individuals to Andalusi culture.
- I can analyse what survives of al-Andalus in architecture and thought.
Writing here needs JavaScript; the prompts read and print without it.
Write at least two sentences, or tick that you told it, to earn the stamp in your passport.
Worksheet
Answer in your own words after each step; every question points back to a museum page.
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Draw a timeline from 711 to 1492 and place Umayyad Cordoba, the proclamation of the caliphate and the fall of Granada on it.
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Why was the Great Mosque of Cordoba enlarged again and again? What does that say about the ruler?
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What did Ziryab bring from Baghdad to Cordoba? Name three things.
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How did Ibn Rushd's thought reach the universities of Latin Europe?
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Choose one element of the Alhambra and show what it says about the culture of Granada.
Free and open: print, quote and adapt, with no account and no student data.