Moors In Spain
Moors In Spain: Around 711 AD, an African army under the command of Tariq ibn-Ziyad crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from North Africa onto the Iberian peninsula and invaded what was then known as “Andalus” (Spain under the Visigoths). This was the beginning of the Moorish conquest of Spain.
In the year 700 A.D., Tarik Ibn Zayid led an army consisting of approximately 300 Arabs and 6,700 Africans to Spain and conquered it. An academic from Europe who had a favorable opinion of the Spaniards recalled the conquest in this manner:
“The reins of their (Moors’) horses were as hot as fire, their faces were as dark as pitch, their eyes gleamed like flaming candles, their horses were as quick as leopards, and their riders were as ferocious as a wolf in a sheepfold at night.
The aristocratic Goths, who were German overlords of Spain and to which Roderick belonged, were overthrown in an hour, which is much faster than the tongue can tell. Oh, you unlucky Spanish people!
(Taken from Edward Scobie’s article “The Moors and Portugal’s Global Expansion,” which can be found in “Golden Age of the Moor,” edited by Ivan Van Sertima and published in the United States in 1995.)
(From Transaction Publishers’ edition from 1992, page 336)
Second, based on Alfonso X’s description,
“There is really no need to speculate on the ethnicity of these early invaders during the period of conquest because it is not known for certain who they were.” Primary Christian sources that relate to the conquest mention the following statement about the Moors: In particular, the Primera Cronica General of Alfonso X makes this observation. “Their faces were as black as pitch, and the handsomest among them was as black as a cooking pot.”
During their reign of Spain, which lasted for 800 years, the Moors introduced new scientific techniques to Europe. One of these was the astrolabe, which was used to measure the location of the stars and planets. The fields of astronomy, chemistry, physics, mathematics, geography, and philosophy all saw significant advances during the Moorish period in Spain.
Basil Davidson, a prominent historian, observed and declared that there were no territories in that era (the eighth century) “more admired by its neighbors or more comfortable to live in than a rich African civilization that took shape in Spain.” Davidson made this observation in recognition of the fact that there were no places at that time that were “more comfortable to live in.”
Córdova, which was located in the center of Moorish dominion in Spain, was considered the most modern city in Europe during its heyday. The roads were in good repair and had raised sidewalks for the convenience of pedestrians. Lamps provided adequate illumination along ten kilometers’ worth of roadways throughout the night.
(At this point in time, neither Paris nor London had either cobblestone streets or any street lamps.) It is said that a poor Moor in Cordova would choose to go without bread rather than soap because the city had 900 public baths.
In spite of the later Spanish modifications, the Great Mosque of Cordoba, also known as La Mezquita, is still considered to be one of the architectural wonders of the world. Numerous thousands of brass and silver lamps burning fragrant oil lit its low, scarlet, and gold-colored roof made of jasper and porphyry.
In Moorish Spain, education was available to anybody who wanted it; unlike in Christian Europe, ninety-nine percent of the population was illiterate, and even rulers were unable to read or write. In Moorish Spain, education was available to everyone. At the time, Europe was home to just two universities, but the Moors were home to seventeen prestigious educational institutions.
These educational institutions were situated in the cities of Almeria, Cordova, Granada, Juen, Malaga, Seville, and Toledo, respectively.
During the 10th and 11th centuries, public libraries were non-existent in Europe. On the other hand, Moorish Spain boasted more than 70 libraries, the largest of which was located in Cordova and contained 600,000 manuscripts.
Ziryab, often known as “the Blackbird,” was the most influential musician to come from the Moorish culture and settled in Spain in 822. The Moors invented the earliest versions of a number of musical instruments, including the lute (also known as the el oud), the guitar (also known as the kithara), and the lyre. They brought the necessary medication.
Ziryab introduced a new way of consuming food by dividing meals into a number of stages, starting with the appetizers and finishing with the desserts. Paper and Arabic numbers, which eventually supplanted the cumbersome Roman system, were both brought to Europe by the Moors.
The Moors were responsible for the introduction of a large number of new plant species, such as the orange, lemon, peach, apricot, fig, sugar cane, dates, ginger, and pomegranate, in addition to saffron, sugar cane, cotton, silk, and rice, all of which are still among Spain’s most important exports today.
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