Above: Islamic Architecture in Stone-Prayer Niche-Cordoba-Spain Archival Print, Travel Photography
THE ISLAMIC EFFECT
The time of al-Andalus and Muslim reign brought about many new things to the European way of life, in addition to the religion of Christianity. Under Islamic rule, Christian and Jewish religious practices and laws were more than tolerated.(36) It is important to note that both Christians and Jews were, as Muslims said, of the “dhimmi” or people of the book (the Qur’an), and were not only allowed to stay in there homelands of al-Andalus during Muslim rule, but encouraged to participate in daily activities as well as in the decision making of the State. Both W. Montgomery Watt and Hugh Kennedy speak to both Christian and Jewish governors, tax collectors and various other portions of the local government. For the purposes of this research this is as deep as we go with Judaism. These Christians living in al-Andalus are now referred to as “Mozarab”, meaning one who has become “arabised”.(37) Also, there were many converts from Christianity to Islam during the period. These converts were known as “musālima” (“Islamized”) or “mawallad” (“adopted”).(38) Through these conversions, vast amounts of cross culture exchanges through various traditions.
We have also seen the influences in the arts, through a brief glimpse at architecture and poetry. We have seen how styles of building often borrow from one another: the Islamic architects in al-Andalus borrowed form Christian Visigoths and Romans in the construction.(39) We have seen examples, such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba, which was not torn down by European Christians or their kings, but they recognized the beauty, and the painstakingly long hours in which it took to construct such magnificent structures. Now, this is not to say that they did not make them their own. As stated in the history of the Mosque at Córdoba, it was transformation into a Cathedral in 1236. Other Cathedrals were later elaborated on, and we see Arab influences with the addition of use of color, use of light, archways, and lines. Such was seen within the Cathedral at Monreale Sicily, Italy. The two cultures, Muslim and Christian, both recognize one another in the various processes through the conquest.
It is no surprise that Spanish culture adopted Arab culture in some aspects. Excluded from this research is that the “Muslims in Spain at the time, introduced momentous cultural innovations such as alchemy, algebra, the game of chess…, the number zero, and Aristotelian philosophy which had been lost in the rest of Europe.”(40) What this quote is saying, is that, education in general had benefited from the Arabs crossing the strait of Gibraltar in the areas of mathematics and science. In addition to math and science, Arab language added to the formation of the Romance languages, through simple vocabulary or more in-depth writing and poetry, which opened doors to the soul, expression and feeling. Arabs had ways of expression which were then borrowed and built upon by Europeans.
Language played a key role within Islamic influences on Christianity, one key adaptation is the term “jihad” or holy war, translated by the Christians into the word “crusade”. This invasion of Islam into Europe also caused the Christian church to forcibly expand for fear of a future Islamic conquest.(41) Not the most wonderful of example, nevertheless, the crusades, are an effect of cross cultural exchanges, Bernard F. Reilly, Kennedy and Watt all agree on this. The Christian church was also forced to strengthen its core believes and push for more accountability from its body of believers, thus creating more strict guidelines for followers. To close, a quote by Watt who simply states that, “[Europe] struggling for very existence against the Muslims [was what] made Christian Spain so great. In the Reconquista Spain found its soul.”(42) This being said, to the point of this research, without an Islamic invasion, Spainish culture, ideas, art and language would not be as it is known today and nor would the Christian church.
We have also seen the influences in the arts, through a brief glimpse at architecture and poetry. We have seen how styles of building often borrow from one another: the Islamic architects in al-Andalus borrowed form Christian Visigoths and Romans in the construction.(39) We have seen examples, such as the Great Mosque of Córdoba, which was not torn down by European Christians or their kings, but they recognized the beauty, and the painstakingly long hours in which it took to construct such magnificent structures. Now, this is not to say that they did not make them their own. As stated in the history of the Mosque at Córdoba, it was transformation into a Cathedral in 1236. Other Cathedrals were later elaborated on, and we see Arab influences with the addition of use of color, use of light, archways, and lines. Such was seen within the Cathedral at Monreale Sicily, Italy. The two cultures, Muslim and Christian, both recognize one another in the various processes through the conquest.
It is no surprise that Spanish culture adopted Arab culture in some aspects. Excluded from this research is that the “Muslims in Spain at the time, introduced momentous cultural innovations such as alchemy, algebra, the game of chess…, the number zero, and Aristotelian philosophy which had been lost in the rest of Europe.”(40) What this quote is saying, is that, education in general had benefited from the Arabs crossing the strait of Gibraltar in the areas of mathematics and science. In addition to math and science, Arab language added to the formation of the Romance languages, through simple vocabulary or more in-depth writing and poetry, which opened doors to the soul, expression and feeling. Arabs had ways of expression which were then borrowed and built upon by Europeans.
Language played a key role within Islamic influences on Christianity, one key adaptation is the term “jihad” or holy war, translated by the Christians into the word “crusade”. This invasion of Islam into Europe also caused the Christian church to forcibly expand for fear of a future Islamic conquest.(41) Not the most wonderful of example, nevertheless, the crusades, are an effect of cross cultural exchanges, Bernard F. Reilly, Kennedy and Watt all agree on this. The Christian church was also forced to strengthen its core believes and push for more accountability from its body of believers, thus creating more strict guidelines for followers. To close, a quote by Watt who simply states that, “[Europe] struggling for very existence against the Muslims [was what] made Christian Spain so great. In the Reconquista Spain found its soul.”(42) This being said, to the point of this research, without an Islamic invasion, Spainish culture, ideas, art and language would not be as it is known today and nor would the Christian church.
36 Reilly, Bernard F. The Contest of Christian an Muslim Spain: 1031-1157. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishers, 1992.
37 Eplaza, Mikel De. "Mozarabs: An Emblematic Christian Minority Is Islamic Al--Andalus." In The Legacy of Muslim Spain. 149. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1992.
38 Ibid., 151.
39 "Arab Influences on Spanish Language and Culture." Don Quijote Spanish School. Accessed March 24, 2015. http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/society/customs/arab-influence-on-spanish-language-and-culture.
40 Ibid.
41 Reilly, The Contest of Christian an Muslim Spain: 1031-1157, 242.
42 Watt, A History of Islamic Spain, 147.
37 Eplaza, Mikel De. "Mozarabs: An Emblematic Christian Minority Is Islamic Al--Andalus." In The Legacy of Muslim Spain. 149. Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1992.
38 Ibid., 151.
39 "Arab Influences on Spanish Language and Culture." Don Quijote Spanish School. Accessed March 24, 2015. http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/society/customs/arab-influence-on-spanish-language-and-culture.
40 Ibid.
41 Reilly, The Contest of Christian an Muslim Spain: 1031-1157, 242.
42 Watt, A History of Islamic Spain, 147.