Re: Meaning of the name Andalusia?
in reply to a message by Daividh
The traditional interpretation has been disputed, as there is no known record of a toponym in Spain before Al-Andalus, that can be linked to the Vandals, and no indication in Arabic of its actual meaning. At the time of Muslim expansion through North Africa, the Kingdom of the Vandals and Alans was centered on Tunis, the Vandals having left Spain under pressure from the Goths and Suevi long before. A number of other suggestions have been made in recent decades, some more plausible than others, but no actual evidence exists for any of them. No recorded Latin, Gothic, Celtiberian, or Vandal name explains why the Muslim conquerors called the area under their control Al-Andalus.