In the shadow of the Spanish Inquisition, as Granada falls to Catholic forces in 1492, an unlikely alliance forms. Muslims and Jews, facing persecution and death, make a daring escape across the Atlantic-not on Columbus's ships of conquest, but on vessels carrying the seeds of a revolutionary idea: that people of different faiths and cultures might live together in mutual respect.
The Andalusian Covenant
follows this extraordinary journey from desperate flight to the founding of a new society. Led by the brilliant astronomer Miriam Cohen (who must disguise herself as a male scholar), the pragmatic naval commander Ismail al-Qurtubi, and the visionary physician Ibrahim al-Zarqali, the refugees establish a settlement on a Caribbean island. There they forge an unprecedented covenant with the indigenous Taíno people, creating a community where knowledge flows freely between traditions and leadership is based on expertise rather than birth or religion.
As they face devastating hurricanes, tropical diseases, and the constant threat of Spanish expansion, these settlers discover that survival demands more than merely transplanting European ways to new shores. Through their struggles with the unfamiliar environment and their growing appreciation for indigenous wisdom, they evolve from refugees to pioneers of a radical social experiment-one that challenges the fundamental assumptions of their age.
When news arrives that political upheaval in Spain has created an opening for the return of religious tolerance, the community must decide whether to remain in their hard-won home or bring their covenant principles back to transform the land that once rejected them. Their choice will determine not just their own future, but potentially alter the course of history in two worlds.
Sweeping across oceans and cultures,
weaves historical detail with compelling characters to explore timeless questions about identity, belonging, and how diverse peoples might create something stronger than the sum of their differences.