The city of the three mosques—Avila and its Muslims in the middle ages

In this prize-winning book for historical and cultural studies in Andalusia, Arsuaga (medieval history, U. de Educacion a Distancia, Madrid, Spain) examines the construction of the social identity of minority Mudejar (Arab-Muslims) living under Christian rule in the Middle Ages and their cultural legacy. Focusing on the frontier town of Avila, and starting with the period when Muslims were the majority group, she questions assumptions about their marginality, and based on excavations, discusses their influence on the region's decorative arts. Based on unpublished as well as published sources, the volume includes maps, photographs, and tabled information on offices of the Avila mosques and common Muslim names. Not indexed. Distributed in North America by The David Brown Book Co. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)