UNIT  12  MIDDLE  AGES:  MUSLIMS

• In 711 A.D. Muslims entered the Peninsula from north Africa.

 

They conquered the south and centre of the Peninsula and named it AL ANDALUS.
They settled the capital in CORDOBA.

They were in the Peninsula for more than seven hundred years and along that time the organization of the territory changed:

copied from a teacher´s blog: clic on the picture

In the 11th century, the Christian Kingdoms in the north of the Iberian Peninsula conquered many Muslim territories. As a result, Al Andalus was divided into small kingdoms called TAIFAS. The taifa kingdoms fought each other continuously.

Taifas kingdoms in 1031

Christian kingdoms fought against the Muslims for over seven centuries and eventually unified into four big Christian kingdoms.

Muslims brought their customs, laws and religion. The highest authority was the caliph:

They lived in cities protected by walls, on hills. They built palaces and mosques and worked as merchants and craftsmen.

copied from a teacher´s blog: click on the picture

An important palace is the Aljaferia in Zaragoza:

The Great Mosque of Cordoba was also very important:

 

They improved the techniques in crop farming with the invention of the water wheel and the irrigation ditches:

 

Al Andalus society was divided into groups:

• Muslims: the most powerful, held positions in the government and owned the best land. They practised Islam religion and worshipped in mosques.
• Christians and Jews paid a tax to the Muslim rulers, but they also played important roles in society and culture.

 

Here you have an example of a Muslim house and the public baths, both of them copied from a teacher´s blog. Click on the pictures for further information: