The Arabs on the Iberian Peninsula from 711-1492 CE saw: 1. The initial conquest by Muslim armies which established independent emirates and caliphates that flourished for several centuries, reaching a golden age under the Caliphate of Córdoba. 2. The fragmentation of al-Andalus into competing Taifa kingdoms from the 11th-13th centuries as Christian kingdoms advanced, until temporary political unifications by the Almoravids and Almohads. 3. The eventual fall of Muslim rule to the Catholic Monarchs with the conquest of Granada in 1492, ending over 700 years of Arab presence on the Iberian Peninsula

1. THE ARABS ON THE IBERIAN PENINSULA
From 711, until
1492 (Conquest of
Granada by the
Catholic Kings)

2. SUMMARY:
Al-Andalus political evolution (Elima
Benito)
Militar occupation and rivality (Paula
Márquez)
Society and economy (Garbiñe
Aranguren)
Art and culture (Patricia del Barco)

3. AL- ANDALUS
, POLITICAL EVOLUTION

4. IN THEIR VICTORY COINCIDED TWO
FACTORS
 The height of the expansion of the Islam
 The decadence of the visigoth kingdom

5.  Muslims began to conquer the iberian peninsula
coming from the south.
 Two important muslims: Musa and Tarik (his
subordinate).
 Musa was callen for the witizanos to combat against
the visigoth king Rodrigo.
 In 711 Musa sent 7000 soldiers with Tarik.
 Tarik did not obey the instructions that he had
received of Musa , he entered in a new territory
invaded and he continued his conquest.
 Musa arrived to Algeciras in 712 because he was
jealous of his subordinate.
 Musa continued to the north and when he was in Lugo
he received orders to come to Damasco and he left
his government to his son Abd-al-Azz.

7.  Conquested territories by
capitulation: the most important with
Teodomiro in 713.
 Capitulation:when muslims could
not conquer a territory they used to
sign a pact of capitulation giving
visigoths a relative autonomy even
they could sometimes govern this
territory.

8. THE POPULATION IN THE IBERIAN
PENINSULA
 MUSLIM POPULATION:
• Bereberes: Morocco, Argelia, Tunisia and Libya.
They settled in unpopulated areas.
• Arabs: in the most populated areas. They were:
-Yemenies: Arabian Peninsula. They arrived with Musa.
-Syrians: north of the Arabian Peninsula, Irak and Syria.
 MULADIES: hispanogoths who were converted to the
Islam.
 NON-MUSLIM POPULATION:
• Mozarabs: christians who lived in a muslim territory.
• Jews

9. MILITAR OCCUPATION.
DIVERSITY AND
RIVALITY.

11. AL-ANDALUS, POLITICAL EVOLUTION
 Primacy and glory, VIII-X Century
 Political Disruption and loss of land, XI-XIII
Century
 The final withdrawal, XIII- XV Century

12. PRIMACY AND GLORY
 Dependent emirate („valiato‟) 711-756.
- Initial settlement
- Ib.Peninsula  simple province of the Caliphate of
Damascus
- Governed by a Emir (depend political, religious
and militarily on the Caliph)
- Great political instability
- Military campaigns:
a) Covadonga Battle, 722
b) Poitiers Battle, 732

13. The independent emirate of Bagdag, 756- 929
- Revolt led by Persian Groups  pushed out the Umayyad
- New Caliph Abul-Abbas  new dynasty, the Abbasid  translate the
capital of the Caliph to Bagdag.
- Abd al-Rahman I, Umayyad member  Ib.Peninsula establish himself
as the Emir of Córdoba ( independent militarily and politically but not
religious)
Caliph of Cordoba, 929-1031
- Abd-al-Rahman III  929 he proclaimed himself Caliph
- Golden age of al-Andalus, above all during the reign of Al-HakamII
- Most remarkable figure Militarily Almanzor  Caliphate under
his command became military dictatorship.
- Died Almanzor political turmoil and fighting between rival
factions marked the final phase of the caliphate  ended
up disintegrating into numerous Taifa kingdoms

14. POLITICAL DISSRUPTION AND LOST OF
LANDS
 Taifa Kingdoms, 1031.1090
- Beginning of XI century  some territories independent
- In 1031 a rebellion in Cordoba overthrew the last Caliph- Hisam III
 fragment into a multiplicity of Taifa kingdoms
- Stage is characterized by a number of features:
1. Frequent disputes between the different Taifa
kingdoms
2. High initial number was reduced the
incorporation of smaller with larger ones
3. Depended on the payment of pariahs
4. His political weakness did not
translate, however, not in economic nor in cultural decline

15. - Military advance and the growing strength of the Christian kingdoms
 Taifa kingdoms saw the need to agree to make common cause and
seek outside help
Almoravid Unification, 1090-1145
⁻ Christian conquer of Toledo –> Kings of Sevilla, Granada and
Badajos call Almorávides.
⁻Yusuf Ibn Tashfin beat 1086 Alfonso VI –Z battle of Zallaqah.
⁻1090 return  objetive :incorporate to the Almoravid Empire the Taifa
kingdoms
⁻However, the power of the Almoravids fails to fully consolidate
The second Taifa kingdoms, The Almohad unification, 1145-1237
- 1145, the decomposition of the Almoravid power had caused in Al-
Andalus a return to a political fragmentation  second Taifa kingdom
- Almohads became to incorporate the new Taifa kingdoms
postalmoravids
- The complete unification reached in 1172 Seville turned in the
capital.
- `Battle: Las Navas de Tolosa‟ 1212 fall down of the Almohads
- Weakening Almohad power the thirdTaifa Kingdoms.
- However, Christian advance  succumbing all, except of the
Granada kingdom.

16. THE FINAL WITHDRAWAL, XIII- XV
CENTURY
 The Nasrid kingdom of Granada ,1237-1492
- Founded by Muhammad I- Arab lineage of Narsi or Nasrid
- He rebelled against the Almohads and proclaimed his-self sultan
in 1232 in his hometown, Arjona .
- Recognized his authority  went into Granada in 1237.
- Two and a half centuries of existence  constant internal fighting,
payment of pariahs and vassalage
- Catholic Monarchs  war of conquest of ten-year 1482-1492
- Final incorporation of the kingdom of Granada to the Castilian
crown.

17. SOCIETY AND ECONOMY

18. SOCIETY
 Al-Ándalus was made up for 3 religious groups:
Christians, Muslims and Jews.
 The unification of the religious level, had
several ethnic divisions.
 Distinction between the Berbers and the Arabs

19. Treatment of non-Muslims
 non-Muslims : ahl al-dhimma (people under
protection)
 Adults pay a tax("Jizya " )except old people,
women, children and the disabled.
 Al-Ándalus :a key center of Jewish life.
 Jewish were allowed to practice their religion.
 These regulations served to define the
relationship between the two communities, and
not to oppress the Jewish population.

20. Social Interaction
Umayyad conquest the Iberian Peninsula
and signaled a period known as
the ”Convivencia”(culture of tolerance)
But discrimination by Muslims did occur at
the local level.
The Muslim elite respected Christians and
Jews under Islamic law .

21. Social Mobility and Conversion
 Conversion to Islam :higher rate of social scale for
Christians and Jews.
 Many wished to be at higher ranking government
positions.
 Half of the Christians in Al-Andalus have converted
to Islam by the 10th century, more than 80% by the
11th century.
 These Christians(Mozarabs )adopted the Arabic
language and customs.

22. Economy
Revitalization of the economy and cities
 -Improvements in agriculture:
• Economical base :agriculture.
• Irrigation techniques and the use of water-wheels.
• New crops :rice, citrus, sugar cane, saffron or
cotton.
• Big landowners live in the cities and have a luxury
life thank to the benefits received from the
exploitation of the land.
• No more ruralization.

23. The economic importance of the cities.
 Cities had an important economic role:industrial
production and trade.
 Islamic city: were not a base of political
 organization, were a simple human concentration
around the mosque and the market (“zoco”)
 This double function, religious and above all
commercial, determinate the Islamic structure of
the city.

24. CITIES DURING THE AL-ÁNDALUS
PERIOD

25.  The center :”medina”.Where mayor mosque
was.
 First belt :”alcaceria”. Streets dedicated to
the luxury trade, (silks, jewelry…) which
served as accommodation for the merchants.
 Second belt: residential neighborhoods.
 the suburbs(arrabales/ar-rabad)
neighborhood located outside the city along
the wall(muralla)
 At last :”zoco”. Was a huge free space
dedicated to the permanent market, whose
location varied from one city to another.

26. THE CRAFT.
 The craft, and luxury products: developed a demand
because of the demands for refined urban
population on the power.
 The most important industry :textile.
 Arabs introduced silk industry ,fabrics of
wool, cotton and linen.
 The paper: Chinese invention introduced in Europe
by the Arabs.
 Whose manufacture was cheaper than parchment
(“pergamino”), so books were cheaper and had a
market in the Islamic world.

27.  Promoted foreign trade and monetary circulation.
 Al-Ándalus kept commercial relationships with the
Christian territories.
 The Muslim control of the south and east parts of
the Peninsula ,so developed the Mediterranean
trade.
 Major export :oil.
 Control of Sudan gold: rich monetary circulation
and revitalized commercial exchanges.
 Muslims imposed a change: urban
renaissance, active trade and abundant money
supply.

28. ART AND CULTURE

29. GENERAL INFORMATION:
 It started with Mahoma‟s preaching (VIIth
century).
 It has been spread along many centuries over a
huge territorie.
 It had a great influence on Spanish culture.
 Because of their religion, painting and
sculpture were not developed at all.

30. ARCHITECTURE
 Not really tall buildings.
 Mozarabic, islamic or “gallonadas” vaults.
 Alfiz.
 Poor materials.
 Care of indoor decoration.
 Use of horseshoe arches.
 Most representative: the mosque
 Examples: “Córdoba mosque”, “Torre del
oro”, “La alhambra”.

32. LANGUAGE
 Arabic elements, are after Latin ones the most
important on Spanish.
 Particle “al-”: almohada (pillow)
 Ending “-í”: Iraní (Iranian)
 Prefix “a-”: Ablandar (to soften).

33. THE END
Garbiñe Aranguren
Patricia del Barco
Elima Benito
Paula Márquez.