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Black History Month fact #15

711 to 1492 Spain, as it is now known, was ruled by Black African Moors.

The etymology of the word ‘Moor’ is black, or dark. Moors were a mix of Black African and Arabic Muslims who ruled Spain and the rest of the Iberian peninsula between 711 and 1492.

 The Moors were constantly defending against invading Christian Europeans from the north. This period as we are brainwashed to know from K-12 is called the Reconquista, or the reconquest, during the Christian/Muslim war of the Crusades.

Nevertheless, Al-Andalus, or Moorish Iberia, flourished in the arts, sciences, medicine, religion, culture, and architecture. Córdoba was one capitol of the several caliphates on the peninsula, and was one of the most advanced and populous cities in the world at the time, as well as a great cultural, political, financial and economic center.

Rule under these kingdoms saw the rise in cultural exchange and cooperation between Christians, Muslims, and Jews. Under the Caliphate of Córdoba, al-Andalus was a beacon of learning, and the city of Córdoba became one of the leading cultural and economic centres in both the Mediterranean Basin and the Islamic world.

Moorish contributions to Western Europe and especially to Spain were almost incalculable—in art and architecture, medicine and science, and learning (especially ancient Greek learning).

This painting is in my living room.

(via watermeloncholy)