The name Andalusia is derived from the Arabic word Al-Andalus, which may be derived from the Vandals, a Germanic tribe that invaded the Iberian peninsula in 409 and ruled until they were displaced into north Africa (King Gunderic) by the Visigoths, another Germanic tribe led by King Theodoric.
The Visigoths ruled until 711, when the Umayyad conquest of Hispania caused a major cultural and political shift in the Iberian Peninsula. The city of Córdoba emerged as the capital of al-Andalus and one of the most important cultural and economic centers of the medieval world. The height of Andalusian prosperity came during the Caliphate of Córdoba, under rulers like Abd al-Rahman III and Al-Hakam II, when the region became known for its advancements in science, philosophy, and architecture.
