When many people think of Spain, they think of fair European people, and they do not usually think of Arab culture. In the late-15th century (1400s), Hispania (aka Spain) expelled the last of the Muslim leaders from their country and embarked on the exploration of the Atlantic Ocean. Until then, Spain (and Portugal) had been known as Al-Ándalus, a cosmopolitan country with people from many religions and cultures. Muslim Arabs and European Christians lived alongside Jewish communities and Africans. They engaged in commerce, education and intermarried. Córdoba, the capital of Al-Ándalus, was known for its advances in art and science; this included astronomy, medicine, botany and agriculture.
While not everybody spoke the Arabic language, it was considered a language spoken by intellectuals and culturally refined people. After 1492, the Spanish government would eventually require its Jewish and then Muslim Spaniards to convert to Christianity. But Muslim culture had been an important part of Spain for hundreds of years. In the Spanish language, words that begin with the letter “a,” like azúcar (sugar), almohada (pillow) and aceite (oil) came from Arabic, but also less obvious words like blusa (blouse) and pantalones (pants) were adopted as well.
Here are the links
https://www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2020/11/andalus.html
(You should react using and academic tone and respectful language. Students demonstrating bad language or disrespect will receive a 0% for the assignment.)
Instructions
Listen to the 0:00-22:22 of the podcast Legacies of Al-Ándalus and respond in English, in video or writing, to the following questions/sections in complete sentences. Then react to 1 of your fellow students’ publications.
1. According to the podcast, (1) when did Muslims begin to conquer Hispania (Spain) and (2) how long did Muslims rule of Spain? (complete in 1-2 complete sentences)
2. The podcast reveals that many historians, especially Spanish historians, insist that Spain is and has always been a culturally & racially European nation. According to Mohamad Ballan and Jeannie Miller, how does the history of Al-Ándalus serve as an example that a simple East (Orient)-vs-West (Europe) division isn’t a realistic way of studying Spanish history? (answer with 2 examples)
3. During the period of the reyes de taifa, or party kings, Al-Ándalus divided into small kingdoms. During the taifa period, who were the Saqalibah (Sa-ká-li-ba) (1) culturally/ethnically and (2) politically? (complete in 1-2 complete sentences)
4. According to the podcast, the society of Al-Ándalus was very ethnically diverse. What are 3 different examples of the ethnic diversity in Al-Ándalus? (answer in 1-2 complete sentences)
5. Before listening to this podcast, (1) what did you think of when you thought of Spanish people & Spanish culture? That is, how did you imagine them? (2) Why do you think you thought of Spanish people & culture in that way? (3) Has your perspective of Spanish people & culture changed? If so, explain how. If not, explain what new things you have learned about Spanish history (answer in 3-4 complete sentences)
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