place · L0255
Lucena אליסאנה
Andalusian town so thoroughly Jewish in the Muslim period that Arab geographers called it "the city of the Jews." Its academy, headed by the Rif after his flight from Fez and then by his student Yosef ibn Migash, was the halakhic center of Sefarad in the generation before the Almohad invasions scattered it.
I. Who
- Hebrew
- אליסאנה
- Also known as
- Alisana, Eliossana, the city of the Jews
III. Where
- Modern location
- Lucena, province of Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain
V. How do we know
| Claim | Evidence | Confidence | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medieval Muslim sources describe Lucena (Alisana) as a town populated and effectively governed by Jews, unique in al-Andalus. | external | ★★★★☆ | |
| The Rif fled Fez to Spain in 1088 and headed the academy at Lucena until his death (1103), passing it to Yosef ibn Migash, who led it for thirty-eight years — the Sefardic line's seat between Kairouan and the Rambam's family. | tradition external | ★★★★☆ |
Referenced by: The Rif, Yosef ibn Migash