![]() Jews and Christians did retain some freedom under Muslim rule, providing they obeyed certain rules. The distinguished historian Bernard Lewis wrote that the status of non-Muslims in Islamic Spain was a sort of second-class citizenship but he went on to say: Some historians believe this idea of a golden age is false and might lead modern readers to believe, wrongly, that Muslim Spain was tolerant by the standards of 21st century Britain. Islamic Spain is sometimes described as a 'golden age' of religious and ethnic tolerance and interfaith harmony between Muslims, Christians and Jews. Both Muslims and non-Muslims made major contributions to this flowering of culture. The Muslim period in Spain is often described as a 'golden age' of learning where libraries, colleges, public baths were established and literature, poetry and architecture flourished. The credit goes to Amir Abd al-Rahman, who founded the Emirate of Cordoba, and was able to get the various different Muslim groups who had conquered Spain to pull together in ruling it. Stability in Muslim Spain came with the establishment of the Andalusian Umayyad dynasty, which lasted from 756 to 1031. The name Andalusia comes from the term Al-Andalus used by the Arabs, derived from the Vandals who had been settled in the region. ![]() The heartland of Muslim rule was Southern Spain or Andulusia. The ruling Islamic forces were made up of different nationalities, and many of the forces were converts with uncertain motivation, so the establishment of a coherent Muslim state was not easy. One reason for the rapid Muslim success was the generous surrender terms that they offered the people, which contrasted with the harsh conditions imposed by the previous Visigoth rulers. By 720 Spain was largely under Muslim (or Moorish, as it was called) control. The Muslim army defeated the Visigoth army easily, and Roderick was killed in battle.Īfter the first victory, the Muslims conquered most of Spain and Portugal with little difficulty, and in fact with little opposition. There is no doubt that Tariq invaded Spain, but the reason for it may have more to do with the Muslim drive to enlarge their territory. The story of the appeal for help is not universally accepted. The name Gibraltar is derived from Jabal At-Tariq which is Arabic for 'Rock of Tariq' named after the place where the Muslim army landed. Musa responded by sending the young general Tariq bin Ziyad with an army of 7000 troops. The traditional story is that in the year 711, an oppressed Christian chief, Julian, went to Musa ibn Nusair, the governor of North Africa, with a plea for help against the tyrannical Visigoth ruler of Spain, Roderick. The Alhambra Palace, the finest surviving palace of Muslim Spain, is the beginning of a historical journey in this audio feature, In the Footsteps of Muhammad: Granada. Muslim Spain was not a single period, but a succession of different rules. Muslim rule declined after that and ended in 1492 when Granada was conquered. It became one of the great Muslim civilisations reaching its summit with the Umayyad caliphate of Cordovain the tenth century. ![]() ![]() In 711 Muslim forces invaded and in seven years conquered the Iberian peninsula. It brought a degree of civilisation to Europe that matched the heights of the Roman Empire and the Italian Renaissance. Islamic Spain was a multi-cultural mix of the people of three great monotheistic religions: Muslims, Christians, and Jews.Īlthough Christians and Jews lived under restrictions, for much of the time the three groups managed to get along together, and to some extent, to benefit from the presence of each other. The Court of the Lions, Alhambra, Spain ©
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