The history of al-Andalus, a territory of the Iberian Peninsula that was under Muslim rule for several centuries, is discussed. The period from the moment of its conquest by Islam in 712 to the abolition of the Cordoba Caliphate in 1031 is considered. Particular attention is paid to the events as a result of which the most economically and culturally developed state of Western Europe, which seemed to be at the peak of its political power, actually ceased to exist within a few years. An attempt has been made to consider these events of a thousand years ago in a broad historical context, including modern times.