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.