The Near West: Medieval North Africa, Latin Europe and the Mediterranean in the Second Axial Age

Viewing the history of North Africa and Europe through the eyes of Christian kings and Muslim merchants, emirs and popes, Sufis, friars and rabbis, this book argues that they together experienced the twelfth-century renaissance and the commercial revolution. In the midst of this common commercial growth, North Africa and Europe also shared in a burst of spirituality and mysticism, instigating a Second Axial Age in the history of religion.

Challenging the idea of a Mediterranean split between Islam and Christianity, the book shows how the Maghrib (North Africa) was not a Muslim, Arab monolith or an extension of the exotic Orient. Rather, medieval North Africa was as diverse and complex as Latin Europe. Instead of dismissing North Africa as a sideshow of European history, it should be seen as an integral part of the story.

• Shows how medieval Western European and North African history were part of a common Western Mediterranean culture
• Provides a political, cultural and social history of the region
• Primarily based on personal biographies of remarkable Mediterranean travellers, scholars, rulers and historians
• Examines key elements of this history: commerce, slavery, mercenary activity, art and intellectual and religious debates