THE CONQUEST • Muslims from northern Africa crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and defeated the Visigoth in the Battle of Guadalete in 711. • The Muslim generals, Tariq and Muza, gained control of almost the entire Peninsula and the Balearic Islands in just seven years. • A very small areas in the North of the Iberian Peninsula was not conquered by the Muslims.
The Muslims gave the territory conquered
they
had
on
the
Peninsula the name of
al-Andalus.
Chronology There are six different phases in the history of Al-Andalus:
1. The Dependent Emirate (711-756) 2. The Independent Emirate (756-929)
3. The Caliphate of Cordoba (929-1031) 4. Taifas’ Kingdoms (1031-1085) 5. Almoravids and Almohads (1085-1212)
6. Nasrid Kingdom of Granada (1212-1492)
THE DEPENDENT EMIRATE OF DAMASCUS • Al-Andalus became a province or a dependent Emirate of the Umayyad Caliphate of Damascus. • The capital of the Emirate was established in Cordoba.
• Muslims were stopped in 722, Battle of Covadonga (defeated by don Pelayo). • And in 732 in Poitiers (defeated by Charlemagne’s armies).
THE INDEPENDENT EMIRATE • When the Abbasids of Baghdad killed the last Umayyad caliph, the only survivor of the Umayyad, Abd ar-Rahman I, took refuge in al-Andalus.
• In 756, Abd ar-Rahman I established Al Andalus as an independent Emirate, he gained independence from the Caliphate of Baghdad.
THE CALIPHATE OF CORDOBA • In 929, Abd ar-Rahman III declared himself caliph of al-Andalus. • The Caliphate of Cordoba (929-1031) was formed and a golden age began. • There was stability and the Caliphate experienced a period of economic and cultural development.
• By the end of 10th century, Hisham II inherited the caliphate. He was only 7 years old, so he was helped by his vizier Al-Mansur, who had the real power. • Al-Mansur did different razzias in the Christian Kingdoms on the North. • Once Al-Mansur is dead, it happened the division of the Caliphate.
TAIFAS • In 1031, al-Andalus was divided into 25 kingdoms, called Taifas. • The most powerful Taifas were Zaragoza, Sevilla, Toledo, Badajoz… • The taifas fought among themselves and this helped the Christian Kingdoms to gain territory. Some taifas paid parias or taxes to avoid to be conquered by the Christians.
THE ALMORAVIDS • The Almoravids were in AlÁndalus from 1086 to 1146. • They finished with the Taifas and unified Al-Andalus. • They recovered the economy. • The Almoravids were more religious. Many mozarabs and Jewish had to go to the Christian Kingdoms in the North of Spain. • During the Almoravids phase, Alfonso VI conquered Toledo in 1086.
Video about the Almoravid Empire. (Spanish)
THE ALMOHADS • The Almohads came also from Northern Africa. They were in Spain from 1149 to 1212. • They unified again the Muslims Kingdoms, which had divided after the Almoravids in the Second Kingdoms of Taifas. • They established the capital in Seville.
• The Christian Kingdoms defeated the Almohads in the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa (1212).
Video about the Almohad Empire (in Spanish)
NASRID KINGDOM OF GRANADA • The Nasrid Kingdom of Granada was the only taifa to survive. It included Almería, Granada, Málaga and part of Cádiz. • It was governed by the Nasrid dinasty.
El reino nazarĂ de Granada
• They survive thanks to his commerce of silk. • Finally the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada was conquered by the Catholic Monarch in 1492. Boabdil was the last king of Granada.
ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES • In the Islamic world, the city was the centre of economic activity with markets (souqs) selling all types of products. • Muslim economic focused on agriculture, trade and crafts.
• Trade was very important. Al-Andalus exported artisan and agricultural products and imported raw materials such as gold and silver, and slaves.
• However, the majority of the population in alAndalus worked in agriculture. • They developed irrigation through the use of wells, waterwheels and ditches. • They introduced new crops such as rice, citrus, cotton, mulberry, saffron or hemp.
• They used two coins: gold dinar and silver dirhem.
SOCIETY • Society was shaped by religion. The most powerful social groups practiced Islam. • Muslim had privileges as they didn’t have to pay taxes.
• Cities had walls to protect them. • The main area of the city was the medina in which you had: – The alcazar or alcazaba (a citadel or military fortress, located on the highest land). The governor used to lived here. – The main mosque. – The souk. – The baths, corn exchange (alhóndiga).
• Jewish lived in a separated neighbourhood, inside the medina, called “aljama”. • Outside the walls, you had the “arrabal” and the alquerías or country villas.
ISLAMIC SCIENCE AND CULTURE • The Islamic civilisation was very important. • There was an only language, Arabic, which facilitated cultural exchange. • The Muslims introduced Arabic numerals, which included the zero. • They also took to Europe paper, gundpowder and irrigation system.
ISLAMIC SCIENCE AND CULTURE • The Islamic civilisation made important avances in the fields of medicine, philosophy, engineering, chemistry, mathematics and astronomy. • Al-Andalus produced important figures such as the doctors Avicena or Maimonides (Jewish), the philosopher Averroes.
• The Muslims brought the compass and the astrolabe from India and China
• In medicine, they developed surgery and anaesthesia techniques.
• • • • •
Poor materials. Flourished art, with abundant decoration. Lights and shade play. Love of water. Support elements: horseshoe arches, polylobes arches, columns, pillars,
• Wooden roofs or domes (caliphal dome).
• Decoration – Caligraphical – Geometric or lacería – Ataurique or vegetal
• As it was forbidden to represent the sacred in the pictures, sculpture and paintings, the Muslims specialised in architecture and decorative arts. • Islamic decorative arts included ceramics with geometric designs and miniatures, which were used to decorate books.
Prepared by: Joaquina Guillén IES “Diego Torrente Pérez” San Clemente (Cuenca)