The Arab conquest of Sicily began officially in 827 AD when an expedition led by a septuagenarian jurist, Asab ibn al-Furat, landed in Sicily. They conquered major cities like Palermo, Messina, and Enna, with the last cities to fall being Syracuse in 878, Catania in 900 and Taormina in 902. Under Arab rule, Sicily experienced two centuries of cultural and economic prosperity, as the Arabs introduced new crops, irrigation systems, and a unified administration. They established Palermo as a wealthy capital with over 300 mosques. Though the Arab architecture is now gone, their influence can still be seen in Sicilian place names, words, foods

2. • THE ARAB CONQUEST OF SICILY OFFICIALLY BEGAN IN THE YEAR
827 .
• BEFORE THIS THERE WERE NUMEROUS RAIDS AS FAR BACK AS 652 ,
AND SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO CONQUER SICILY , ALL FAILED . THE
SHIPMENT WAS MADE FINAL WHEN THE REBEL BYZANTINE
EUFEMIO CALLED THEM FOR HELP .
• AT THE HEAD OF THE EXPEDITION WAS A SEPTUAGENARIAN
JURIST , ASAB IBN AL- FURAT . THE EXPEDITION LEFT THE ARAB
PORT OF SOUSSE ON JUNE 14TH OF THE YEAR 827 AND, AFTER
MAKING A STOP ON THE ISLAND OF RABBITS ( LAMPEDUSA ), ON
JUNE 17TH AT THE HEAD GRANITOLA LANDED AT MAZARA . ASSAD
'S TROOPS , BECAUSE OF THE DIFFICULTY OF THE PLACES AND THE
LACK OF NOURISHMENT ,SUFFERED VERY MUCH .

3. • THEY CONQUERED PALERMO, MESSINA, ENNA.THE LAST TO SURRENDER WERE
SYRACUSE IN 878, CATANIA IN 900 ANDTAORMINA IN 902 AND FINALLY THEY
COMPLETED THE OCCUPATION IN 965 WITH THE FALL OF ROMETTA IN
MESSINA.

4. •IN SICILY THERE WAS A UNIFIED ARAB KINGDOM BUT MANY SMALL
LORDSHIPS. THEY DID NOT PERSECUTE CHRISTIANS BUT THEYWERE
OBLIGED TO PAY THE ARAB A FEE, ALLOWING FREEDOM OF WORSHIP.
FEW WERE THE ATTEMPTS AT REBELLION AND VAIN ATTEMPTS WERE
MADE TO RECONQUER BY BYZANTIUM, JUST TO REMEMBER GIORGIO
MANIACE, 1038-1042.

5. • ARABS DIVIDED THE ISLAND INTO THREE MAIN ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICTS: VAL
DI MAZARA, THAT INCLUDED THE CENTER-WEST, VAL DEMONE, WHICH INCLUDED
THE NORTHERN-EASTERN AND THE VAL DI NOTO, WHICH INCLUDED THE
SOUTHERN PART.

6. • DURING THE 200 YEARS OF THEIR DOMINATION , THE ARABS BROUGHT TO THE ISLAND
CULTURE , POETRY , ARTS , SCIENCES AND ORIENTAL EMBELLISHED THEIR KINGDOM WITH
STUPENDOUS MONUMENTS . DURING THEIR STAY THE ARABS GAVE A REMARKABLE
CONTRIBUTION TO THE ECONOMY AND CULTURE OF SICILY : THEY INTRODUCED CROPS OF
RICE AND CITRUS FRUITS , REALIZED CANALIZATION THAT ALLOWED THE RATIONAL USE OF

7. • EVEN TODAY IN OUR LANGUAGE WE USE TERMS LIKE DERIVATIVES FROM ARAB WORDS "
GEBBIA " , THE HOT WATER COLLECTION , " SENIA " , THE WHEEL OF A WATER MILL, ETC
... THEY DEVELOPED A SMALL LAND OWNERSHIP , ELIMINATING LARGE ESTATES WITH
APPROPRIATE FISCAL MEASURES , AS THE ABOLITION OF THE TAX ON DRAFT ANIMALS.

8. • DURING THE ARAB DOMINATION PALERMO WAS DISTINGUISHED BY LUXURY AND
WEALTH AND IT PRESENTED WITH ALL THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ORIENTAL TOWN

9. It became a Mediterranean
capital with more than 300
mosques and a population of over
250,000 inhabitants. In Sicily
Arabs favored the birth of a
rich culture , both in science and
in literature .
Unfortunately , in Sicily , there
aren’t mosques anymore ,
because they were turned into
Christian churches.

10. •BUT WHAT WE LACK IN ARCHITECTURE IS STRONGLY
REPLACED IN THE LINGUISTIC HISTORY OF SICILY .
MANY PLACES’ NAMES: CALTANISSETTA ,
CALTAGIRONE , CALTAVUTURO , ETC ... AND THEN WE
ALSO HAVE AGRICULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL TERMS
; WORDS SUCH AS " CALIA " ( ROASTED CHICKPEAS ) "
GIURANA " ( FROG ) , " ZOTTA " ( WHIP ) ; OR LAST
NAMES AS BADALA , VADALÀ OR FRAGALÀ ETC .

11. • ALL OUR FOOD HAS A
STRONG ARAB
INFLUENCE, THAT WE
CAN RECOGNIZE IN THE
USE OF SPICES AND IN
FOODS SUCH AS
COUSCOUS , CASSATA
AND ARANCINI .

12. 07 GENNAIO 2016
LIDIA MEZZASALMA,
MARIKA PIAZZA
CHIARA DAMANTE