Jewish history in Spain stretches from ancient Roman times to the dramatic expulsion of 1492, marked by periods of extraordinary cultural flourishing and moments of deep persecution.  Jewish communities first took root in Hispania during the Roman era, and under Muslim rule in al‑Andalus they experienced a celebrated “Golden Age,” contributing to philosophy, poetry, science, and diplomacy. As Christian kingdoms expanded, Jews often served as scholars, translators, and financiers, though...

Maimonides, born Moses ben Maimon in Córdoba in 1135 , emerged as one of the most influential Jewish thinkers of the medieval world, shaping philosophy, law, and medicine across cultures. Forced to flee al‑Andalus after the Almohad invasion, he lived in Fez  and later settled in Fustat (Old Cairo) , where he became both a leading rabbinic authority and the personal physician to the Ayyubid court. His major works— Mishné Torá , a monumental codification of Jewish law, and The Guide for the...

Sephardic Jewish surnames reflect the deep and complex history of Jews from medieval Spain and Portugal and the global diaspora that followed their expulsions in 1492 and 1496. Many of these surnames originated on the Iberian Peninsula before the expulsions, while others were adopted afterward by families who converted under pressure or by those who re‑established Jewish life in new communities across the Ottoman Empire, North Africa, Italy, the Netherlands, and the Caribbean. Sephardic...