What is Al Andalus and the history of Islam in the Iberian Peninsula? Join us as we take a closer look at the Muslim expansions into Portugal and Spain. In part one of two of discussing Islam in the Maghreb, we examine the Berber and Moorish influences on art, architecture, culture, cuisine, and even music. After we establish the political history of the region with a brief chronology of events and dynasties we then dig deeper into the intellectual and cultural contribution of Al Andalus to world history. We pay particular attention to the way Muslims, Jews, and Christians created a society who influence is still felt in western Europe. From the philosophies of Ibn Rush (Averroes) and Ibn Sina (Avicenna) to the contribution of Ibn Haytham, we look at how Muslim thought carries over into the Renaissance and Enlightenment. We conclude with the Reconquista