Spain’s Islamic history was a cultural mix of three major religions Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Today’s modern Andalus is known for a distinctive identity and culture that reflects the architecture and culture of Spain. Spain has changed over three thousand years due to immigrants and struggles.
In the year 711, the Iberian Peninsula today is recognized as Spain, and Portugal was conquered and ruled by Muslim forces that lasted for over seven centuries. Muslims were known as the Moors and established a society named the Al-Andalus known for its influence and prosperity boosting schools, libraries, and public baths. Al Andalus had made noteworthy contributions to European culture through its unique architecture, poetry, and literature adapting the co-existence between people from different faiths.
During the 7th Century, Islamic civilization was extending both east and westwards. The Umayyads among the three caliphs had established a base in Damascus and were expanding Islam swiftly, taking hold of Israel, Syria, and parts of Turkey and North Africa. Spain was a pivotal part of an expansion of Muslim conquest by the Umayyad Caliphate in the 7 & 8th centuries. By targeting vulnerable European territories, Muslim forces penetrated North Africa along the coast. In 711, Berber tribesmen across the Straits of Gibraltar started the invasion of Europe. With the motive of territorial expansion and the assistance plea from the Wittizans, Muslim forces swiftly overpowered the Visigoth army which resulted in the fall of Roderick, and were successful in conquering most of Spain and Portugal.
Later the expansion was scaled up to North of the Pyrenees Mountains until the halt in Poitiers led by Charles Martel. The period from 711 to 756 remained under the influence of the Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus. The Muslims were labeled as liberators from the Vis gothic oppression considering lenient surrender terms encouraging conversion to Islam. Even with all these efforts it was a challenge to lay a foundation of a unified Muslim state due to the diverse nationalities within the Islamic factions resulting in social tension and internal strife in this period.
Umayyad Dynasty
Under the rule of Abd al Rahman, an independent kingdom known as Emirate of Cordoba was established in Spain in 756. Fleeing the Abbasid massacre in Damascus, Abd al-Rahman and his family sought refuge in the Iberian Peninsula. Cordoba started transforming and evloving when they introduced an advanced irrigation techniques accompanied by a new trade system. Crops like Olives, lemons, palm trees, avocados, pomegranates, and artichokes lead the way for prosperity ensuring to make Cordoba a cosmopolitan hub with a population of more than 100,000 the largest settlement in Europe at that time.
With 700 mosques, 70 libraries, and over 3000 public baths, it became a center of culture and knowledge featuring houses with running water and illuminating oil lanterns showing advanced civilization. The Grand Mosque was a historical structure of Muslim Spain with magnificent architectural design and a floor equal to four football pitches. The grand mosque has 600 marble columns and mesmerizing arches. Cordoba City featured a robust administration, medical facilities, and a structured legal system with scholars from different fields like astronomy, mathematics, literature, poetry, art, and architecture. This was the period in which there was rapid growth in the Muslim population because of the benefits offered in terms of social status, wealth, and intellectual growth. Indeed, one of the notable aspects of the Emirate of Cordoba under Abd al-Rahman's rule was its relatively tolerant treatment of religious minorities, including Christians and Jews.
Abd al-Rahman's self-declaration as caliph in 929 marked a pivotal moment in Cordoba's history elevating the city's status significantly within the Islamic world. This move symbolized Cordoba's newfound prominence and it became a significant player along with Baghdad. It escalated the architectural wonders across the Al-Andalus. During this period, military concerns were being overshadowed resuting in internal power struggles and recruitment of foreign mercenaries. As a result, different vibrant Muslim states emerged in the region striving for supremacy and cultural eminence signifying diversification and transition in the Al Andalus region.
The Reconquista
Reconquista refers to a series of military campaigns by the Christian kingdoms that facilitated the collapse of Islamic rule in the Iberian Peninsula. In the 11th century, catholic power overturned the Islamic hold of Toledo, where fierce retaliation was initiated by Almoravid forces under General Yusuf Bin Tashfin. The Almoravid’s retaliation resulted in defeating the Catholics and regaining Al-Andalus. After the attempt to regain control by the Catholic Christians, the Islamic rulers imposed a strict fundamentalist regime directed from Marrakesh, Morocco with an intent to purify the society.
Numerous unforeseen situations took place across Al-Andalus against the rule of the Almoravid as the state was caught between Christian aggression and the Muslim fundamentalist. By 1144 & 1145, rebellions dented the Islamic unity, resulting in the emergence of independent states and a plea for assistance from the West. This led to internal strife waking the capacity to defend from Catholic incursions. After the actions of the rebellions, the Almohads turned to a more rigid and intolerant approach towards Christians and Jews forcing them to convert to Islam or getting expelled from the Al-Andalus. The downfall of the Almohad Supremacy started in 1195 headed to the defeat by Alfonso VIII of Castile. The defeat prompted Alfonso’s motivation towards the expelsion of Muslims from Spain and it ended in the crusade by Celestine III in 1197. This was later reinforced by Innocent III in 1206.
In 1212, coalition of forces from Italy, France, and Aragon joined with Castile to conquer the Almohad at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa. The battle marked the end for the Almohad when he started losing control over the Al-Andalus advancing Catholic kingdoms reconquering cities like Murcia, Merida, Valencia, Badajoz, and finally Seville in 1248. Only the Kingdom of Granada remained under Muslim rule by 1250 which was a narrow strip along the southern coast. Despite the multiple sieges by Aragonese and Castillian forces the Muslims managed to stronghold the attacks over two centuries. In 1492, the conquest of Granada for a unified Spain laid siege to the city resulting in a surrender. 1st January 1492, claiming the keys to the city signaling the defeat of Islamic Spain is marked as a historic day ending an era of Spanish society.
Post Reconquista Era
After the Reconquista, Spain saw a significant shift in religious intolerance after the fall of Granada under a unified monarchy. In 1492 and 1502, the Catholics Monarchs offered Muslims to embrace Catholicism or face severe consequences resulting in leaving the country. This move forced several people to convert to Christianity along with Arabic manuscripts being destroyed. The suppression escalated by King Phillip II in 1567 prohibited Islamic practices and banned the Arabic language. By 1609, the order to expel all Muslims in Spain was passed. Around 250,000 individual Muslims were removed from Spain and directed to North Africa.
Even after these expulsions and mass conversions, Spain’s Moorish (Muslim) has its heritage and traces in Spain’s culinary delights and architectural history in places like Cordoba, Giralnda, and the Alhambra Palace which are a part of Al-Andalus’ legacy. The cultural legacy has persisted even after the Muslims’ expulsion and is reflected through the rich heritage in today’s Spanish culture.
