THE STRUCTURE OF SPACE IN APPEALS FOR HELP IN ANDALUSIAN PROSE: A THEMATIC AND ARTISTIC STUDY

Andalusian prose discourse has been relatively overlooked in academic studies despite its richness and diversity of themes. Among its most significant forms is the literature of appeals for help (istinjād), addressed to kings, princes, and notable figures who were expected to embody valor and magnanimity by responding to urgent calls to rescue the people of al-Andalus from the numerous trials and calamities inflicted upon them by their enemies. These appeals targeted both the collective Andalusian community and individuals who suffered afflictions such as displacement, devastation, and death. Within this supplicatory and urgent discourse, space held a distinct presence, as it represented the locus of those afflicted, the arena first subjected to devastation and destruction, and the entity most visibly marked by ruin. Particularly significant were the historical spaces—major cities, palaces of governance and caliphate, and places of worship—that endured calamities and aggression. Thus, the afflicted Andalusian space emerged as a dynamic arena of war, conflict, and human suffering, deeply intertwined with the emotions, memories, and lived experiences of its inhabitants. It encompassed cities, fortresses, and sanctuaries that once embodied joy and prosperity, yet later bore witness to catastrophe and tribulation. This study adopts a descriptive-analytical method, drawing upon rhetorical and critical tools, in order to deconstruct this discourse both thematically and artistically, thereby uncovering its meanings and the unique features of its composition.