This topic strongly appealed to me because the time of Muslim rule by the Moors in Spain marks a unique moment in the middle ages whereby Muslims, Jews and Christians intermingled with some level of religious tolerance. It is also an important topic because the achievements the Moors brought to Spain and the rest of Europe are often ignored by academics. The purpose of this essay is to highlight the important achievements of the Islamic Moors in Muslim Spain. However I will restrict my analysis to why the achievements of Muslim Moors in Spain are largely over-looked today.
In 711 the Muslim Moors of Northern Africa invaded Spain with an army of over 7000 troops lead by Tariq Ibn Ziyad (the then governor of Tangiers) with the purpose …show more content…
The Spanish peasants who formerly served as Serfs on Visigoth farmland were made landowners by the Islamic Moors and were given a tax reduction from one-third to one-tenth of their earnings (Cobb, 1963). This became a key incentive to the farmers and helped drive the agricultural prosperity of Muslim Spain. The introduction of irrigation methods (already practised my Moors in North Africa and Syria) to Spanish farmers also helped drive agricultural development as previously barren land was made productive through these methods (Cobb, 1963). The multicultural nation of al-Andalusia also meant that the different religions were able to share academic knowledge with one another. By the first half of the 12th century, many philosophical and astrological texts were translated from Arabic to Latin and vice versa e.g. Albumasar's “Great Introduction to Astrology” (Hasse, 2008). The Moors were also responsible for the advancement in Spanish architecture. The region of al-Andalus saw the construction of many cities and buildings. Buildings such as the Alhambra in Grenada, the Alcazar in Seville, and the Mosque of Córdoba that still stand today are evidence of the architectural stamp the Muslim Moors of Spain …show more content…
The reason for this is Spain’s multicultural heritage has always raised the question of their position in Europe, if they are “qualified westerners” (Aidi, 2006). Therefore Spain has attempted to culturally distance itself from its North African influence (Aidi, 2006). I believe this because the North Africans are viewed as outsiders due to Western racism, and to avoid the same plight, the Spanish must continue to ignore this influence in order to remain the gatekeepers of
In 711 the Muslim Moors of Northern Africa invaded Spain with an army of over 7000 troops lead by Tariq Ibn Ziyad (the then governor of Tangiers) with the purpose …show more content…
The Spanish peasants who formerly served as Serfs on Visigoth farmland were made landowners by the Islamic Moors and were given a tax reduction from one-third to one-tenth of their earnings (Cobb, 1963). This became a key incentive to the farmers and helped drive the agricultural prosperity of Muslim Spain. The introduction of irrigation methods (already practised my Moors in North Africa and Syria) to Spanish farmers also helped drive agricultural development as previously barren land was made productive through these methods (Cobb, 1963). The multicultural nation of al-Andalusia also meant that the different religions were able to share academic knowledge with one another. By the first half of the 12th century, many philosophical and astrological texts were translated from Arabic to Latin and vice versa e.g. Albumasar's “Great Introduction to Astrology” (Hasse, 2008). The Moors were also responsible for the advancement in Spanish architecture. The region of al-Andalus saw the construction of many cities and buildings. Buildings such as the Alhambra in Grenada, the Alcazar in Seville, and the Mosque of Córdoba that still stand today are evidence of the architectural stamp the Muslim Moors of Spain …show more content…
The reason for this is Spain’s multicultural heritage has always raised the question of their position in Europe, if they are “qualified westerners” (Aidi, 2006). Therefore Spain has attempted to culturally distance itself from its North African influence (Aidi, 2006). I believe this because the North Africans are viewed as outsiders due to Western racism, and to avoid the same plight, the Spanish must continue to ignore this influence in order to remain the gatekeepers of