After the fall of the Roman empire in the 4th to 5th centuries, Europe entered into what is known historically as the Dark ages - a period characterized by lack of growth in knowledge, backwardness and little development. Civilization was to be brought to Europe again through the Moors of North Africa who were a black muslim people, in their conquest to spread Islam. From 711 to 1490, black men ruled in Spain, Portugal and France, leaving behind architectural wonders of today: The Alhambra and the Mosque of Cordoba in Spain.

1. The Spanish occupation by the Moors of North Africa began in 711 AD when an African army, under their leader Tariq ibn-Ziyad, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from northern Africa and invaded the Iberian peninsula ‘Andalus' (Spain under the Visigoths).




Tariq ibn-Ziyad.

Iberia peninsula refers to Spain, Portugal and Southern France. The Moors established their civilization and ruled all over Iberia and Southern France.


Map of Iberia.

2. A European scholar sympathetic to the Spaniards remembered the conquest in this way:

a. [T]he reins of their (Moors) horses were as fire, their faces black as pitch, their eyes shone like burning candles, their horses were swift as leopards and the riders fiercer than a wolf in a sheepfold at night . . . The noble Goths [the German rulers of Spain to whom Roderick belonged] were broken in an hour, quicker than tongue can tell. Oh luckless Spain! [i]

[i] Quoted in Edward Scobie, The Moors and Portugal's Global Expansion, in Golden Age of the Moor, ed Ivan Van Sertima, US, Transaction Publishers, 1992, p.336

3. The Moors, who ruled Spain for 800 years, introduced new scientific techniques to Europe, such as an astrolabe, a device for measuring the position of the stars and planets. Scientific progress in Astronomy, Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Geography and Philosophy flourished in Moorish Spain.


4. Basil Davidson, one of the most noted historians recognized and declared that there were no lands at that time (the eighth century) "more admired by its neighbours, or more comfortable to live in, than a rich African civilization which took shape in Spain"

Modern Berbers:


5. At its height, Córdova, the heart of Moorish territory in Spain, was the most modern city in Europe. The streets were well-paved, with raised sidewalks for pedestrians. During the night, ten miles of streets were well illuminated by lamps. (This was hundreds of years before there was a paved street in Paris or a street lamp in London.) Cordova had 900 public baths - we are told that a poor Moor would go without bread rather than soap!

6. The Great Mosque of Córdoba (La Mezquita) is still one of the architectural wonders of the world in spite of later Spanish disfigurements. Its low scarlet and gold roof, supported by 1,000 columns of marble, jasper and and porphyry, was lit by thousands of brass and silver lamps which burned perfumed oil.

7. Education was universal in Moorish Spain, available to all, while in Christian Europe ninety-nine percent of the population were illiterate, and even kings could neither read nor write. At that time, Europe had only two universities, the Moors had seventeen great universities! These were located in Almeria, Cordova, Granada, Juen, Malaga, Seville, and Toledo.

8. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, public libraries in Europe were non-existent, while Moorish Spain could boast of more than seventy, of which the one in Cordova housed six hundred thousand manuscripts.

9. Over 4,000 Arabic words and Arabic-derived phrases have been absorbed into the Spanish language. Words beginning with "al," for example, are derived from Arabic. Arabic words such as algebra, alcohol, chemistry, nadir, alkaline, and cipher entered the language. Even words such as checkmate, influenza, typhoon, orange, and cable can be traced back to Arabic origins.

10. The most significant Moorish musician was known as Ziryab (the Blackbird) who arrived in Spain in 822. The Moors introduced earliest versions of several instruments, including the Lute or el oud, the guitar or kithara and the Lyre. Ziryab changed the style of eating by breaking meals into separate courses beginning with soup and ending with desserts.

11. The #Moors introduced paper to Europe and Arabic numerals, which replaced the clumsy Roman system.

12. The Moors introduced many new crops including the orange, lemon, peach, apricot, fig, sugar cane, dates, ginger and pomegranate as well as saffron, sugar cane, cotton, silk and rice which remain some of Spain's main products today.

13. The Moorish rulers lived in sumptuous palaces, while the monarchs of Germany, France, and England dwelt in big barns, with no windows and no chimneys, and with only a hole in the roof for the exit of smoke. One such Moorish palace ‘Alhambra' (literally "the red one" in Granada is one of Spain's architectural masterpieces. Alhambra was the seat of Muslim rulers from the 13th century to the end of the 15th century. The Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

14. It was through Africa that the new knowledge of China, India, and Arabia reached Europe The #Moors brought the Compass from China into Europe.

15. The Moors ruled and occupied Lisbon (named "Lashbuna" by the Moors) and the rest of the country until well into the twelfth century. They were finally defeated and driven out by the forces of King Alfonso Henriques. The scene of this battle was the Castelo de Sao Jorge or the 'Castle of St. George.'

http://www.blackhistorystudies.com/resources/resources/15-facts-on-the-moors-in-spain/

Discovered Paintings about the Moorish People of Early Spain:








There has been an ongoing attempt to rid spain, portugal and parts of france of their ancient black african civilization. The moors are said to have laid the template for the furtherance of science, mathematics and arts in the world today. The very fact that these people were a black people is the reason this part of history has continued to be ignored.

Black Man, awaken to your history!

In ancient times, 'moor' was used by historians and authors to refer to black people. 'Negro', 'black', etc are recent names for people of colour.

The "Moors" of Europe

Etymology

Variants of the term "Moor" have been used by many Europeans since ancient times as a general description for indigenous Africans. Contrary to popular belief, the term is not synonymous with "Islamic" or any specific Arab or African religion, civilization, or ethnicity.


The artist, Christopher Wren (1632-1723), specifically entitled this painting, "Le Maure", French for "The Moor"

The origin of the English term, "Moor," is the Greek word, "μαυρο" or "mavro" which literally means "black, blackened or charred" and has long been used to describe black or very dark things such as, "Mavri Thalassa" which refers to the Black Sea or "mavri spilia" which means "black cave." Ancient Greeks used the term to describe the complexion of Africans and (even today, some Greeks use "mavro" to refer to Africans, although in a pejorative manner).

One need not be a linguist to see the word's evolution from the Greek "mavro" to the Latin word, "mavrvs" (actually, "mavro" in the ablative, singular, masculine Latin form). The English transliteration is "Maurus" and the plural form is "Mauri," specifically used by ancient Romans in reference to Black Africans. Writers in both Greek and Latin specifically used the term as a racial identity. In the Epitome de Caesaribus (390s AD), we learn that Aemilianus was "a Moor by race." Procopius of Caesarea (500-565 AD), a Byzantine scholar who wrote in Greek, said in his History of the Wars, "beyond that there are men not black-skinned like the Moors..."

Even through the middle ages, the term (as well as the Spanish, "moro," the German "mohr," the Dutch "moor" etc.) continued to be used in reference to Black Africans. In one of the oldest Dutch texts (1300s AD), a Moor was described specifically as "black."

Even through the middle ages, the term (as well as the Spanish, "moro," the German "mohr," the Dutch "moor" etc.) continued to be used in reference to Black Africans. In one of the oldest Dutch texts (1300s AD), a Moor was described specifically as "black."

Somehow by the 20th century, "Maurus" and "Moor" suddenly transformed into Berber and Arab -- a grave contrast to historical precedent.


An image entitled, "Habit of a Moor of Arabia," from Thomas Jefferys' A Collection of the Dresses of Different Nations (1757-1772).

Further proof of the true definition of the Latin term "Maurus" can be found in early English-Latin dictionaries:

- "Maurus" was synonymous with "Moor," "negro," and "Aethiops" in John Etick's A new English-Latin dictionary (1783)

- In A new Latin-English dictionary by William Young (1810), "Maurus" is a "black Moor"

- According to the Ainsworth's Latin Dictionary, Morell's abridgment by Alexander Jamieson, Robert Ainsworth (1828), "Maurus" means "black Moor"

The English term "Moor" also meant "Black" in English dictionaries and encyclopaediae prior to the 20th century:

- "Moor" meant "negro" or "black-a-moor" in A Dictionary of the English Language (1768) by Samuel Johnson

- The Encyclopaedia Londinensis (1817) by John Wilkes lists "moor" as follows: "[maurus, Lat. μαυρο, Gr., black.] a negro; a blackamoor."


"Moorish" Castle overlooking Gibraltar (700s AD)




A depiction of Moorish noblemen playing the board game commonly known as chess and one playing a harp in Alfonso X's Libro de los Juegos ("Book of Games", 1283 AD)

By 800 AD, the Franks began efforts to contain the spread of Moorish society to the south of the Pyrennees mountains. Much of the literature, lore and art that followed centered around the Franks' efforts to defeat the Moors. For instance, the Song of Roland (French, La Chanson de Roland, 1140-1170 AD), the oldest known French literary work, describes Frankish Charlemagne's (742-814 AD) long campaign in southern France. The text's account of a Moorish leader named Marsile, is as follows:

"Although Marsile has fled, his uncle Marganice remains, he who rules Carthage, Alfrere, Garmalie, and Ethiopia, an accursed land. He has the black people under his command, their noses are big and their ears broad, together they number more than fifty thousand. They ride fiercely and furiously, then they shout the pagan battle cry."

Then another African general whom the Franks called Abisme is described as follows: "In the forefront rides a Saracen, Abisme...He is as black as molten pitch."


"Wild Men and Moors," a tapestry (1350-1400 AD) depicting the ruling Moorish Strasbourgois of France/Germany (Boston Museum of Fine Arts)

There were also several accounts of Moors in northern and central Europe, including that of the so-called "Freising Moor." The oldest known use of his image on any coat of arms was created around 1300 AD by Bishop Emicho of Wittelsbach in Skofja Loka, Slovenia. The town of Freising, Germany's oldest known coat of arms dates to 1362, which included the head of the Moor along with the bear he supposedly defeated while traveling with Bishop Abraham of Freising. The legend says that Freising's Moor was a servant, however, the crown atop his head may refute said legend. The archdiocese of Munich, Pope Benedict XVI, and several Bavarian municipalities continue to use depictions of the "Freising Moor" on their official coats of arms, a testament to the presence and authority of Africans in medieval Europe. Later, "Maurus" (in the form of Maurice, Moritz and Morien, etc.) became synonymous with not only the aforementioned, but numerous blacks of high regard. Sir Morien, for example, was a knight thoroughly described in the romance novel, Lancelot-Compilatie (the Hague Lancelot Compilation), the Dutch version of Lancelot (1300s AD) as "all black....his head, his body, and his hands were all black, saving only his teeth." Morien is the son of Sir Agloval and a Moorish princess whom Agloval met in Africa during his quest to find the holy grail. Sir Morien is also described as a "bold knight" who experiences racism while seeking transportation overseas to reunite with his father, saying "None will take me over the water since I am a Moor."


A Moor in Spain, portrayed in a Cantiga (1200s AD)

In the 1490s AD, Catholic rulers had begun to rid the Iberian Peninsula of much of its large Islamic Moorish population (as well as other people who practiced non-Christian religions such as Judaism). After waging a long war on Granada, Spain's Ferdinand V and Isabella I seized control of that region in 1492, promising to keep religious freedom. However, Cardinal Francisco Jimenez Cisneros began a large-scale Inquisition in 1499, including mass coversions to Christianity, persecutions, book burnings, and closings mosques and synagogues, and by 1502 Ferdinand and Isabella expelled all non-Christians, which included many Moors.

Portugal's King Manuel also expelled non-Christians, many of whom were Moors, by royal decree in 1496. The result was that some relocated to other parts of Europe where they became high ranking nobility as their knowledge and skill continued to be highly valued. Although most Moorish families of nobility (the origin of the term "Black Nobility".) intermarried with Europeans, their surnames continued to link to their heritage. Family names such as Moore, Morris, Morrison, Morse, Black, Schwarz (the German word for "black".), Morandi, Morese, Negri, etc. all bear linguistic reference to their African ancestry. For example, the oldest Schwarz family crests even depict the image of an African, or "Schwarzkopf," ("black head" in German). Other families and municipalities adopted similar coats of arms which continue to exist in some form, demonstrating the important role Africans played in European history.

http://www.taneter.org/moors.html

The Great Mosque of Cordoba in its beauty and splendour, one of the two ancient buildings and civilizations left behind by the Moors of Spain:




The Alhambra, a Moorish structure of mathematical complexity, magnificence and marvelous beauty built by the mighty black rulers of spain, is a great tourist destination site today with about 8,000 visitors everyday:

ok

#Teamblack

Is it the blacks of Africa who do not have anything to do with north Africa talkless of Europe, (according to some folks here) that we are talking about, or we are adapting ourselves to the historical achievements of moors of north Africa based on pigmentation similarity?

Since when did Moors of North African become Negroes of sub-Saharan Africa

How many people are aware of how Blacks are racially discriminated against in Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt etc?

Our Nairaland is gradually coming back to be educative AGAIN

kudos to d op and mods who brought this out.

Touchy...

#TeamBlack #Dudu #Blackisbeautifu Awesome. Weldone OP.

Thank You Original Poster for helping us Revisit our History and educating Youths who believe The Europeans discover and civilized Africa, Thanks for teaching us Our own history in our own Way, May The Good lord enrich Your Knowledge in all Capacity.

Chai! I wish I can read this thing oo

ALHAMBRA sounds like ANAMBRA
One thing is, they are both successful people!

20

Remember civilization started in Africa..

A time shall come that Africa will once more rule the world...

Nice one

Keep it coming. Many thanks to Islam for showing the world the light of civilization. Quote me negatively at ur own phoolishness. Noff said.

I need someone like bigfrancis21 in my ranch... will navigate me through the seeds to the fruits they will eventually bear. #history

Cordoba... Ivan Cordoba be balling here in retirement

Even Jesus na black man

Sorry, too long. Cant read today. Maybe next weekend

Shey no be say dey use nairaland swear for me ,I waited 8min for a train,I was carried away on Nairaland by the time I raised my head up,train already leaving station.I have to wait another 10min * trow phone on rail track*

If the truth is told then the youth can grow. Learn to survive until they gain control. Read more, learn more, change the globe.

Islam is the begining of civilization