Islamic artistic traditions, many originating in regions east of the Mediterranean, were first brought to Europe with the arrival of the Muslim Umayyad Caliphate in the Iberian Peninsula in the eighth century. The group had conquered Northern Africa and turned their sights across the Strait of Gibraltar to present-day Spain. In July 710, Umayyad troops landed near Tarifa and began to venture inland. They split up and turned their sights to the early medieval Visigothic territories in the regions of Lusitania, Andalusia, and Toledo, winning victories that would yield control over much of present-day Spain and Portugal.

With the Islamic presence firmly established in the Iberian Peninsula, the artistic styles and techniques brought by the Umayyads were introduced and quickly incorporated into local traditions. The Umayyad rulers encouraged the initiation and integration of their preferred artistic styles by creating friendly cross-cultural relations. In fact, throughout most of the region, people of all religions would live and work side-by-side, which encouraged pleasant if not amicable relations amongst members of the different religions. Furthermore, rulers aided the exchange of artistic traditions by gathering artistic elites of all religions, resulting in direct cross-cultural interaction. The fostering of these cross-cultural integration practices was a vital first step in cementing and embracing imported ceramic styles into Spanish culture, a process that would be fully realized in the coming centuries. These diverse forums allowed for interactions, discussions, and collaborations that were all fundamental to transplanting the Persian ceramic style to towns across Spain.

3. Málagan Migration and Tradition

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Bibliography

Perratore, Julia. "Artistic Interaction among Cultures in Medieval Iberia." Met Museum.

Raul, Alberto. "The Muslim Invasion of Spain." Medieval Warfare 1, no. 3 (2011). JSTOR.