Andalus Read online

  ‘What will you do?’ I asked Zine as we stopped to look out at the sea. A group of skinny boys in shorts were playing football on the beach, their bodies bending and twisting like rubber as they reached and curled for the ball.

  ‘I’ll work with my uncle for a while, then see what happens.’

  ‘And Lucía?’

  The waves sighed as they spilled themselves onto the land. Above our heads a seagull hovered motionless and silent, held still by a momentary current of air blowing in off the sea.

  There was no reply.

  GLOSSARY

  Al-Andalus Name used by the Moors at any one time for the areas of the Iberian peninsula under their control

  Almohads Fundamentalist warrior monks who took over Morocco and Al-Andalus during the twelfth century; successors of the Almoravids

  Almoravids Fundamentalist warrior monks who took over Morocco and Al-Andalus in the eleventh century; eventually defeated by the Almohads

  Andalusia Southern region of modern Spain; name derives from Al-Andalus

  Caliph Religious and often political head of the world Islamic community; compares with emir, a purely political title meaning ‘ruler’

  Ferdinand & Isabel Named ‘the Catholic Kings’ for their conquest of Muslim-held Granada; their marriage united the kingdoms of Castille and Aragon; instigators of the Spanish Inquisition

  Judería Old Jewish quarter of a Spanish town

  Marrano Derogative name given to the Jewish community in Christian-held areas of Spain; translates as ‘dirty swine’

  Mihrab Niche in the inner wall of a mosque indicating the direction of prayer

  Morisco Derogative name given to the Moors of Spain after the fall of Granada in 1492; literally ‘little Moor’

  Moro Spanish for ‘Moor’

  Mouro Portuguese for ‘Moor’

  Mozarabs Arabized Christians living in Moorish-controlled areas; literally ‘would-be Arabs’

  Mudejars Moors who remained in territories conquered by the Christians; term usually refers to the period before 1492 (cf. Moriscos)

  Musa The Arab governor of North Africa who followed Tariq in his invasion of Spain in 712

  Nasrids Ruling dynasty of Granada from the thirteenth century till 1492

  Palo Particular song or style of music within flamenco

  Reconquest Term usually applied to any Christian conquest of Moorish-held territory

  Saeta Haunting song performed at religious ceremonies, usually in Andalusia

  Santiago St James; patron saint of Spain, nicknamed Matamoros: the Moor-slayer

  Tablao Bar or restaurant where flamenco is regularly performed

  Taifas Period of ‘petty kingdoms’ into which Al-Andalus split up after the fall of the Cordoba caliphate in 1031; ended with the arrival of the Almoravids

  Tariq The first Muslim invader to cross into Spain, in 711; Gibraltar is named after him (jabal Tariq – the mountain of Tariq)

  Umayyads Ruling dynasty in Al-Andalus from 756 to 1031

  Visigoths Rulers of the Iberian Peninsula at the time of the Moorish conquest

  ANDALUS TIMELINE

  Fifth century AD Visigoths begin conquest of Iberian Peninsula

  622 Beginning of the Islamic era

  632 Muhammad dies

  711 First Muslim armies led by Tariq land in Spain

  712 Musa arrives in Spain to take part in conquest

  722 Battle of Covadonga in Asturias, northern Spain; the traditional date for the start of the ‘Reconquest’

  732 Battle of Poitiers in France: furthest extension of Moorish advance

  756 Abd al-Rahman I becomes emir of the politically independent Islamic realm of Al-Andalus

  929 Abd al-Rahman III declares himself ‘caliph’; Moorish Golden Age begins

  1031 Cordoba caliphate ends; Moorish Spain breaks up into taifa (little kingdoms)

  1085 Christian King Alfonso VI conquers Toledo

  1094 El Cid takes control of Valencia

  1080s–1140s Almoravids take control of Al-Andalus

  Early 1100s School of Translators established in Toledo

  1126 Averroes born in Cordoba (dies 1196 in Marrakesh)

  1135 Maimonides born in Cordoba (dies 1204 in Cairo)

  1140s–1220s Almohads control Al-Andalus

  1147 The Second Crusade gets sidetracked by the Christian conquest of Lisbon

  1165 Ibn al-Arabi born in Murcia (dies 1240 in Damascus)

  1212 Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa: major Christian victory

  1232 Nasrid dynasty begins reign over Granada

  1236 Christian King Ferdinand III conquers Cordoba

  1238 Christian King James I ‘the Conqueror’ takes Valencia

  1248 Ferdinand conquers Seville

  1391 First big pogroms against the Jewish community in Christian-held territory

  1479 Castille and Aragon unite

  1481 Inquisition set up

  1492 Granada falls; Jews expelled from Spain; Columbus discovers America

  1526 Moors (now called Moriscos) forced to convert and banned from reading and writing Arabic

  1568 Morisco revolt begins in the Alpujarras

  1609 Moriscos expelled from Spain