The Foundation of Abdul Aziz Saud Al Babtain Prize for Poetic Creativity has awarded its special "International Prize for Research on the History and Culture of Andalusia" to Spanish researcher Dr. Jose Ramirez de Rio, who won the prize for his research: "The Steppes of Ecija City in Andalusia: The Deserts of Ecija and Surrounding Areas". The Foundation had organized its prize for the new session (2010-2011) in cooperation with the University of Granada through Al Babtain Chair of Arabic Studies.
The winning research highlights the historical importance of the geographical area studied: Ecija. The researcher explains that this area was very important in the Islamic conquest due to its strategic location among the most important Andalusian cities such as Cordoba, Seville and Granada. It was a powerful military base, protected by its citadel. Ibn Khaldun had pointed to the importance of this rural agricultural region in the expansion of the Islamic conquests and the empowerment of the central political power to deploy and maintain full control over all the Andalusian territories, especially by means of the river routes abundant in this region.
Moreover, the research sheds light on the Islamic conquest of western Spain, where the researcher stresses that the Islamic conquest of Spain is considered the most important period in the history of the Iberian Peninsula. The author also deals with the era of the Taifas and their relationships with the Umayyad Caliphate and the political and economic changes witnessed by the region during in this period.
It is worth mentioning that the Prize is usually awarded to the best research on the role of Andalusian villages and scientists in creating the Andalusian civilization and culture. The prize is supervised by a group of leading academics. It has previously been organized in cooperation with the University of Cordoba, and was awarded at the time to Spanish researcher Anna Arcilloga.
The Prize aims to highlight the cultural achievements of the Arab presence in Spain, and the humanist, cultural and architectural legacy it has left behind, representing a model of peaceful coexistence between different religions, cultures and civilizations under the Islamic rule.