Where did the Moors come from in Europe? Why did so many cities develop in the Iberian Peninsula during the Middle Ages? What made many of them important cultural and economic centres? Cities flourished and declined, and this was linked to the successive dynasties that took over.
Finding it difficult to get to grips with the history of Andalusia? Do you visit city after city, or read about the monuments and have no idea who built the Alhambra or the Great Mosque in Cordoba? Why was one city or the other the most important?
Where did the Moors come from?
As a result of fighting between tribes in North Africa, Arab tribes came to the Iberian Peninsula. In 711, at the Battle of Jerez de la Frontera, the Visigoths, who had ruled the region until then, lost to the Arabs. Spain thus came under the rule of the Moors, who would rule these lands for almost 800 years. The Arabs wanted to conquer most of Europe. However, they lost to the armies of Charles the Hammer, at the Battle of Poitiers, in 732.
In the 8th century, thanks to the policies of Emperor Charlemagne, the Basques succeeded in taking over Pamplona and Catalonia. The Arabs were pushed into the lands now known as Andalusia.
Struggles between dynasties
Until the Reconquista, Andalusia rarely had a single ruler. As a result of the fighting between the emirates and the Arab principalities of Cordoba, Jean, Seville and Granada, Moorish power in the peninsula was considerably weakened. The Moorish kings were theoretically subject to the authority of the caliphate in Damascus. However, this did not prevent them from fighting among themselves for influence in Spain.
Umayyads – Córdoba
Initially, the Umayyads had the greatest political influence in Spain. Their chieftain, Abd ar Rahman I settled in Córdoba in 755 and declared himself emir. This would make the kingdom of Córdoba the most important city in the area for the next 300 years. It is here that one of the most beautiful Moorish monuments will be built: The Great Mosque. It is one of 800 mosques that have been erected in this Cordoba.
The city was an important centre of culture and learning. Poets were appreciated, libraries were established. The Arabic philosophers Aquicenna or Averroes translated Aristotle, Plato or Euripides. Thanks to the spread of Arabic numerals in Europe, the development of mathematics was possible (imagine equations written in long Roman numerals!).
Reconquista
In the 10th century, the Muslims under Almanzor repeatedly attack the five Christian kingdoms. They burn Barcelona, plunder Burgos and Leon, destroy the cathedral of Santiago de Compostella. Their inhabitants are killed or taken captive.
At the beginning of the 11th century, the Catholic kings proceed to attack. To the relief of the Arab rulers of Spain, the Amboravids arrive from Morocco, who… take over. Córdoba loses its importance and is sacked by Christian troops in 1010. The Moroccan city of Marrakech becomes the most important city.
Almohadzi – Seville
In the 12th century, another tribe invaded Spain: The Almohads, a Berber tribe from Morocco. They ruled the peninsula in the 12th and until the mid-13th century. The kingdom of Seville became the most important. The Almohads ruled the Peninsula for 50 years and conquered Lisbon and Zaragoza. The Catholic kingdoms began to unite more and more against the Muslims, going on crusades against them.
Nasrids – Grenada
The last Moorish bastion in Spain was Granada. It was here that the Mohammedans, driven out by the Christians, fled. The city flourished during the reign of the last caliphs of the Nasrid dynasty. A pearl of Moorish architecture, the fortress-palace Alhambra was built then. In 1492, the Nasrids finally lost their rule over Spain, after almost 800 years. This is due, among other things, to the ruler’s affair with a Christian woman, which is cleverly exploited by the Catholic kings. The last Muslim king of Granada personally hands over the keys to the city to Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand III.
The traces of eight centuries of Moorish rule in Spain can still be seen today: it’s many words that have entered the Spanish language from Arabic, dishes, customs, building styles and decoration. A whiff of the Orient, so rare in Europe, can be felt all the time in Andalusia. On the Costa del Sol you can spend a dream holiday or a lifetime. If you want to be in an extraordinary place for a holiday, or for longer, check out our suggestions of houses to rent and to buy on the Costa del Sol.
