In 711 the Muslim forces crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and conquered the Iberian Peninsula. The original Berbers followed later by Arabs remained there until 1492 when Ferdinand and Isabella drove the last caliph out of the Alhambra in Granada.
Amazingly, there seem to be fewer remaining Moorish ruins in Spain than Roman ones. It is almost as though the Moorish cities were folded up and carted away much the way a Bedouin camp might disappear as a caravan moves on. However, the influence of the Islamic wave that swept across the peninsula is woven through Spanish culture and spilled into Western culture far more than many of us realize.
The rhythmic rapping of flamenco, the click of the castanet, the strumming of a guitar, the sweep of fine fabrics, the style of a formal garden, the structure of our proper meal, toothpaste and the toothbrush, crystal glasses, ceramic tiles and even bangs all flowed from the cultivated culture of Cordoba.
During the Islamic period in Spain Cordoba grew into one of the major cultural capitals of the western world. Together with Baghdad, Cairo and Damascus, Cordoba led the civilized Middle Eastern and Mediterranean world in philosophy, agriculture, medicine, literature and the arts. It was the Islamic world that preserved many of the manuscripts that became the foundation of The Bible. These same scribes etched out the thoughts of the famous Greek philosophers saving them for posterity.
Al-Andalus, the Moorish name for their Spanish caliphate, experienced a golden age of civilization from the 800s into the early 1000s that set the stage for the European Renaissance that followed. Muslims, Christians and Jews interacted together is an Islamic-ruled region with tolerance and cooperation unparalleled in its time. Influences from Arab Spain spread over the Pyrenees to France and throughout Europe, and naturally to the Americas.
While northern Europe was still emerging from barbaric hoards dressed in animal skins, the Islamic world surrounding the Mediterranean was developing different fabrics of cotton, wool and silk; cultivating new crops such as eggplant, peppers and asparagus; and composing music with a delicacy made possible by the evolution of the lute into the guitar that we know today.
Later, as the first millennium ended, students from France, England and the rest of Europe gathered in Cordoba to study science, medicine and philosophy and to take advantage of the great municipal library with its 600,000 volumes. When they returned to their home countries, they took with them not only knowledge, but also art, music, cuisine, fashion and manners.
In my early research, I came across the amazing story of Ziryab, a freed slave renown as one of the best musicians in the Arab/Moorish world. He learned music in Baghdad then ended up traveling with his family from Baghdad to Damascus to Cairo to Tunisia and finally ended up in Cordoba.
Ziryab is recognized as the person who modified the lute by adding a fifth string, thus creating what developed into the Spanish guitar. Through his music he became an Arab superstar in Cordoba and created a music school that continued 500 years after his death. He also became one of the arbiters of fashion and dining as well. Ziryab exerted enormous influence on medieval European society.
As a gourmand, Ziryab began the cultivation of asparagus. He concocted the first toothpaste and toothbrush. He pioneered hair fashions that featured bangs and hair pulled back exposing the ears. He popularized shaving by men. He organized dining into the appetizer, soup, main course and dessert courses. He shifted the style of upscale goblets from gold and silver to crystal and introduces tablecloths.
I have the opportunity to search for the remnants of Moorish civilization through Andalucia, in southern Spain for the next week. I’ll be visiting Seville and Granada traveling with a great friend, Mario Leon, who was one of the first restaurateurs to introduce America to Spanish tapas and Spanish wines at his legendary restaurant Dali Restaurant and Tapas Bar (617-661-3254) in the Boston suburbs.
Each day, I’ll write about the Moorish influences, the architecture, the art, the history and of course, with Mario’s help, insights into some of the best tapas bars and restaurants in the region.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I was just in Granada in February, and my favorite tapas bar was a hidden jewel called La Bodeguilla de al Lado. After a surtido of artisanal cheeses, local sausages, and farm-fresh veggies, all lovingly prepared by the proprietress herself, you won’t need dinner. A surtido for two costs only 14 euros. And the wine selection is terrific.
Also, don’t miss Granada’s Arab Baths. Entering the candlelit hammam is like stepping back in time 500 years (see http://www.hammamspain.com/granada/ ). Unlike so many places in Albaicin (the Arab Quarter), the Baths are actually open during the afternoon (siesta time). They make for an excellent post-Alhambra R&R stop.
Bon voyage,
Wendy Perrin
Conde Nast Traveler Magazine
http://perrinpost.com
While the Muslim conquerors of Iberia brought a number of civilized customs with them, there were also some negatives to their 800 years of rule. Saying that their multi-religious society was more tolerant than most for its time isn’t saying much. Non-Muslims under Muslim rule in Spain were routinely discriminated against, couldn’t wear fine clothes or shoes, couldn’t ride horses, couldn’t build a house taller than any Muslim-owned house, etc. There were myriad laws discriminating against non-Muslims under Muslim rule. Thousands of Jews were slaughtered during their rule, thousands more were expelled. Oddly enough, we only remember such activities when they were done by Christians.
What is meant by “It was the Islamic world that preserved many of the manuscripts that became the foundation of The Bible”? Both the Jewish Torah and Christian gospels were written and compiled well before the advent of Islam. While the credit for transcribing Greek writings is often given to Muslim rule, it was generally Christian monks who did the actual translations.
Muslim’s scholar really deserved the credit that were given to them. it’s very fascinating to learn that the Moorish architecture and especially the landscape architecture are derived from the Koranic teachings. yes, they do take some of the ideas from the Greek and so on but the main thing is that they mostly gain their knowledge from the Koran as u well know. so i think there should not be this kind of arguments about the credits given to them or the christian monks.
I’m in landscape architecture now and I’m focusing on Islamic approach. Islam do teaches us to respect others and also the environments in designing and in our daily life. its called right morality bind. so during Islam rule in Spain is mostly based on tolerance and respecting each other. i really don’t understand how people nowadays cannot see the destruction caused by the Jewish people(israel) to Muslim nation while you kept yourself to be forever deaf and blind by their inhumanly action towards another human being in Palestine,etc.. now here you telling people what Muslim did to the Jews without any basis. please do some more research before saying those thing about Islam and Muslim people during their rule in Spain. i think what Ferdinand III and Isabella did to the Muslim is more cruel especially what i heard about the crusades. so take time to think about it clearly before saying about something falsely..
i live seeking truth and knowledge without any denial..I’m sorry if there’s anything i say is not true. correct me if I’m wrong.. peace ^ ^