When the Moors Ruled in Europe | Bettany Hughes | When The Muslims Ruled in Europe

Summary

Highlights

• The Alhambra in Granada is a stunning example of Moorish architecture, combining art and complex geometry 🏰
• Islamic Spain was a hub of knowledge, with libraries, educational institutions, and advancements in science and medicine 📚
• The Moors' contributions to agriculture transformed the European landscape, introducing crops like oranges and pomegranates 🌾
• The co-existence of Muslims, Christians, and Jews in Spain led to a rich cultural and intellectual exchange 🎭
• The eventual fall of Granada marked the end of Muslim rule but left a lasting influence on Spanish and European culture 🎭

Key Takeaways

• Muslims, known as Moors, ruled parts of Europe, mainly Spain, from the 8th to the 15th century 🌍
• The Alhambra is an architectural marvel built by the Moors, showcasing the height of Islamic art and architecture 🕌
• Muslims brought innovations in agriculture, mathematics, astronomy, and medicine to Europe, influencing the Renaissance 🎓
• The depiction of Moors as violent invaders is a narrative constructed post-Reconquista, not reflecting their historical role 📜
• The Inquisition and eventual expulsion of Muslims were acts of cultural and ethnic suppression, erasing Islamic Spain's legacy 🚫

Overview

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Christopher Columbus and Granada in 1492 The chapter is set in the year 1492, a pivotal time as Christopher Columbus prepares for his historic voyage to the Americas. Before setting sail, Columbus makes a stop at Granada. The significance of this visit is explored, providing historical context to Columbus's journey and the events of that era.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Victory of Ferdinand and Isabella The chapter titled 'Victory of Ferdinand and Isabella' describes a significant event where Ferdinand and Isabella, the King and Queen of Spain, host a ceremonial celebration. This event marks their grand victory, as they have successfully reclaimed Granada, which had been under Muslim rule until this day.
• 01:00 - 01:30: The Forgotten Chapter of Islamic History in Spain The chapter discusses a significant yet often overlooked period in European history, focusing on the rise and fall of Islamic influence in Spain. It highlights the victory of Isabella over Ferdinand as a pivotal moment that ended the Middle Ages and initiated a new era of power and discovery in the West. It frames this period not as the beginning, but as the climax of a forgotten chapter in European history.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Kipling's East and West Rudyard Kipling's famous line 'East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet' serves as a thematic exploration of cultural and geographical divides. The chapter likely discusses the distinction between Eastern and Western philosophical, cultural, and societal perspectives, possibly critiquing or analyzing their differences and intersections. It might delve into how these regions perceive and interact with one another and the historical context of Kipling's viewpoints. Additionally, the chapter could explore the implications of this divide in contemporary times, examining how globalization and modern communication have impacted or bridged these traditional boundaries. The music at the beginning suggests a setting or mood, possibly contextualizing Kipling's sentiments in a broader narrative or thematic exploration.
• 02:00 - 02:30: Muslim-Christian Relations through History Islam and Christianity have not always been ideological monoliths with firmly closed gates; historically, they have interacted more fluidly.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Muslim Invasion and Rich Society in Spain The chapter explores the Muslim invasion and influence in Spain, highlighting its impact on the society's wealth and power. Contrary to stereotypical perceptions of Islam being rigid and ferocious, the Muslim culture in Spain was progressive, sensuous, and intellectually curious. The narrative reveals how, for a remarkable period, this culture seemed poised to extend throughout Europe. Despite its significance, this story has often been omitted from mainstream historical accounts.
• 03:00 - 03:30: The Systematic Erasure of Muslim Legacy The chapter titled 'The Systematic Erasure of Muslim Legacy' describes the actions taken by the Catholic Monarchs after their conquest of Granada. They sought to eliminate the Muslim presence from Spain by destroying evidence of their existence, including the persecution and expulsion of 300,000 Muslims and the burning of up to one million Arabic books over the following century.
• 03:30 - 04:00: The Enigma of the Moors and Propaganda The chapter titled 'The Enigma of the Moors and Propaganda' delves into the historical event considered as an ethnic cleansing that ended a 700-year civilization in Spain, known as the Moors. It discusses how propaganda stemming from the crusades contributed to the lasting negative imagery of the Moors as malevolent figures, often depicted as dark-skinned in historical narratives.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Rediscovery of Moorish Culture The chapter delves into the rediscovery of Moorish culture in Spain, challenging the fictionalized narratives around these people. It highlights the archaeological and historical efforts to uncover the true story of the Moors, including the unearthing of hidden cities and the recognition of the Moors' significant role in reviving classical knowledge.
• 04:30 - 05:00: The Alhambra and Muslim Architectural Ingenuity The chapter explores the architectural and cultural significance of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, challenging stereotypes about Islamic influence as treacherous or bloodthirsty.
• 05:00 - 05:30: The Mathematical Harmony of Alhambra The Alhambra, renowned as one of the most complete medieval Islamic palaces, was constructed by the Muslim kings of Granada during the 14th century, embodying their peak of power. Known as 'the red one' due to the reddish hue of its stones from the dark surrounding soil, its marvel lies in its mystery, with no surviving accounts of life within its walls.
• 05:30 - 06:00: Islamic Civilization's Roots in Saudi Arabia The Alhambra, a marvel of medieval architecture, was spared destruction by the Catholics during the Inquisition, preserving it as a source of insights into the civilization that constructed it. The palace's architecture continues to astonish, offering a glimpse into its builders' grandeur.
• 06:00 - 06:30: The Prophet Muhammad and the Rise of Islam The chapter discusses the cultural and architectural significance of a courtyard in Grenada, highlighting its historical grandeur and the opulence associated with silk production. The narrative paints a vivid picture of the vibrant past, with silk hangings, cushions, and rugs complementing the luxurious ambiance. The pool in the courtyard acts as an infinity mirror, adding to the magical allure of the place.
• 06:30 - 07:00: Early Islamic Expansion and Learning The chapter explores the intricate and symbolic design of an early Islamic palace, focusing specifically on the throne room as the symbolic center where the sultan held court.
• 07:00 - 07:30: Arab Inheritance of Greek Knowledge The chapter titled 'Arab Inheritance of Greek Knowledge' likely explores the transition and transformation of Greek knowledge through Arab scholars. It may delve into how Arab intellectuals preserved, enhanced, and passed on Greek philosophical, scientific, and cultural contributions to the rest of the world, potentially focusing on the psychological and cultural impact of this inheritance. The excerpt hints at a powerful, almost mystical atmosphere invoked by architectural details like stained glass, perhaps drawing parallels between the physical and intellectual light Arab scholars brought to the world.
• 07:30 - 08:00: The Cultural Cross-Exchange in Spain The chapter explores the cultural exchanges in Spain, particularly focusing on the Arabian influence. The architecture evokes a sense of romance and historical depth, suggesting a recent inhabitation by highlighting its timeless beauty and charm.
• 08:00 - 08:30: Abdar Rahman's Influence in Spain The chapter discusses the influence of Abdar Rahman in Spain, highlighting the harmonious architecture and complex geometry evident in structures from that era. It begins by acknowledging the men who built the architectural marvels, noting their knowledge of complex geometry which traces back to the ancient world. The chapter mentions Pythagoras, the Greek philosopher, as the pioneer who set down these mathematical principles, emphasizing his focus on numbers throughout the universe. Furthermore, it introduces Professor Antonio Fernandez Puertas, an expert on the Alhambra, who has dedicated his life to studying this remarkable piece of architecture. He has made discoveries about the entire structure, indicating the profound impact of ancient mathematical principles on its design.
• 08:30 - 09:00: Iconic Developments in Cordoba This chapter titled 'Iconic Developments in Cordoba' explores the harmonious architectural design of Cordoban buildings. Everything from the ground plan to the wall decoration is meticulously structured around a single ratio, emphasizing simplicity and proportion. This careful attention to proportion and simplicity creates a magical and marvelous atmosphere, highlighting the beauty of surrounding architecture.
• 09:00 - 09:30: Cordoba as Europe's Largest City The chapter titled 'Cordoba as Europe's Largest City' discusses the architectural ingenuity in Granada, focusing on how the king ordered the construction of a new palace while adhering to spatial limitations. Despite constraints to the west, east, and south, the king's architects were tasked with designing a palace that harmonized every space according to a single set of proportions, showcasing a blend of genius and beauty in overcoming geographical restrictions.
• 09:30 - 10:00: The Architectural Marvel of Cordoba’s Mosque The chapter discusses the architectural design principles of Cordoba’s Mosque, focusing on the use of proportional rectangles. The narrative explains how rectangles are related through their dimensions and the diagonal, which can be extended to create successive proportional rectangles. The design's key element is based on the relationship between the side of a square and its diagonal, showcasing a fundamental aspect of the Mosque's structural aesthetics.
• 10:00 - 10:30: The Growing Muslim Population in Spain The chapter discusses a geometric progression involving rectangles and diagonals. By creating a sequence of rectangles where each new rectangle's diagonal creates another rectangle, the size progression is observed such that the fourth rectangle is double the size of the first. This sequence reveals a pattern where the diagonals align with the square roots of two, three, four, and five, suggesting a mystical mathematical phenomenon achieved simply using two set squares and a piece of string.
• 10:30 - 11:00: Islam's Offer of Prosperity and Social Structure The chapter titled 'Islam's Offer of Prosperity and Social Structure' explores the architectural intricacies and the proportional systems used in Islamic structures. It delves into how every aspect, including courtyards, hallways, and the placement of columns, are meticulously designed using variations of a specific proportional system. This system is also evident in the elevation, demonstrated through the example of a kiosk where a square base uses its diagonal to determine its elevation. Overall, the chapter emphasizes the cleverness and inspiration behind the design of these spaces, reflecting Islamic values of prosperity and social structure.
• 11:00 - 11:30: The Spread of Paper and Knowledge In the chapter titled 'The Spread of Paper and Knowledge,' the narrative dives into the intertwining of mathematics and aesthetics, as epitomized by the Alhambra. It is described as a triumph of mathematical ingenuity, which forms the foundation of its beauty. Despite its deep mathematical roots, the Alhambra is often only appreciated for its aesthetic value, without much discussion about the underlying mathematical brilliance. The chapter suggests a deeper appreciation for the mathematics that significantly contributes to the Alhambra's remarkable design.
• 11:30 - 12:00: Advancements in Astronomy This chapter explores the enchanting qualities of music and historical sites, using the Alhambra palace as an example. The magic of these experiences is compared to the sensations evoked by attending a concert and listening to music, illustrating how certain encounters can leave a lasting impression that transcends understanding.
• 12:00 - 12:30: Cordoba’s Excellence in Medicine The chapter titled 'Cordoba’s Excellence in Medicine' begins with an assertion that romantic notions about historical sites, like the Alhambra, are not entirely accurate. The palace wasn't merely a romantic dream, but rather a tangible result of the expansive and complex history of the Islamic Empire. At its height, this empire stretched from China to Africa, showcasing immense wealth, intellect, and architectural prowess. This empire has its roots in 7th century Arabia, illustrating a significant and historical span of influence.
• 12:30 - 13:00: Social Structures in Islamic Cordoba The chapter titled 'Social Structures in Islamic Cordoba' explores the grandeur of the Alhambra, attributing its development to the wealth and intellectual dominance of the civilization that created it. It highlights how the cultural and religious flourishing that defined this illustrious period in Islamic history did not originate in Spain itself, but rather in the distant deserts of Arabia.
• 13:00 - 13:30: Abdar Rahman III and the Height of Caliphate Power The early seventh century in Saudi Arabia marked a transformative period for global religious history. A merchant named Muhammad claimed visitations from the archangel Gabriel, who conveyed to him the words of God. These divine messages were compiled into the Quran, forming the foundation of the religion known as Islam.
• 13:30 - 14:00: The Luxuries of Medina Al-Zahra The chapter discusses the experimental phase of various cults and religions, many of which did not survive. However, Prophet Muhammad and his followers made a significant decision to relocate to a desert oasis, establishing the city of Medina. This move marked a pivotal shift for Islam, transforming it from a nomadic desert cult into a structured urban society with Medina as its urban center.
• 14:00 - 14:30: Cross-Cultural Influence of the Court This chapter delves into the cross-cultural influence exerted by the Islamic court, particularly in the context of territorial expansion. Prior to the rise of Islam, nomadic Arabs engaged in ratzia, or raids, which were led by tribal leaders as a means of expansion and acquisition. With the spread of Islam, these raids took on a spiritual dimension. The chapter references one of the earliest Arabic chronicles, highlighting what a commander reportedly said about these early expansions, showcasing the intertwined nature of religion and cultural influence.
• 14:30 - 15:00: Courtly Traditions and Cultural Exchange The chapter titled "Courtly Traditions and Cultural Exchange" discusses the themes of inheritance and divine promise. It reflects on the violent conquests and captivities by Arab chiefs and notable leaders. The passage encourages renouncing worldly desires in pursuit of spiritual and heavenly rewards, suggesting that such devotion will yield both earthly and heavenly benefits. The chiefs are portrayed as believing their actions are divinely inspired.
• 15:00 - 15:30: Court's Cultural Impact on Europe The chapter discusses the rapid territorial expansion of Islamic Arabs, reaching as far as Persia in the east and conquering regions like Egypt, Jordan, and North Africa in the west. Despite their vast territorial ambitions, Islam was also deeply invested in the pursuit of knowledge. This is emphasized as a core revelation given to the Prophet Muhammad, highlighting the importance of learning in the Islamic faith.
• 15:30 - 16:00: Courtly Love and Arabic Poetry The chapter titled 'Courtly Love and Arabic Poetry' delves into the interplay between the quest for knowledge and the dissemination of literacy within the realms of early Islam. It highlights how Islam distinguished itself from contemporaneous religions by promoting literacy among its adherents rather than confining it to a clerical elite. This encouragement led to a unique cultural and academic environment, as exemplified in the historic city of Fez, Morocco, where the integration of literacy and religious study laid the foundation for a vibrant intellectual tradition.
• 16:00 - 16:30: Collapse of Caliphate Power The chapter explores the integration of religion and education, highlighting the historical significance of the Carowind Mosque in Fez, founded in 859 by a woman, as both a religious and educational establishment. The mosque continues to serve as a central place for religious life and education, where mosques historically contributed to teaching grammar and literacy to ordinary people.
• 16:30 - 17:00: Civil War Among Muslims and Christians The chapter discusses the establishment of madrassas, which are known as colleges. One particular madrasa is highlighted, its walls adorned with the rhyming prose of the Quran, signifying its religious and educational significance. This madrasa is part of a larger complex, which includes both religious and educational structures, founded by Sultan Abu Anan.
• 17:00 - 17:30: La Reconquista and its Mythical Heroic Narratives La Reconquista and its Mythical Heroic Narratives discusses the construction of significant religious structures during the period, including a mosque built alongside a madrasa, emphasizing the lack of separation between religious and educational spaces. The chapter also touches on the transmission of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad, highlighting the narrative of its revelation through an angel to the illiterate prophet.
• 17:30 - 18:00: The Complicated History of the Reconquista This chapter examines an ancient madrasa, focusing on Arabic inscriptions of poetry on its walls. The narrator highlights an important section which translates to 'I am the apogee of knowledge come you Muslims', emphasizing the significant role of such poetic verses in historical Muslim educational institutions.
• 18:00 - 18:30: Fabricated Legends of El Cid and Guzman El Bueno The chapter explores the emphasis on knowledge and learning during the medieval period, particularly in the Islamic world. It highlights how Muslim societies excelled in producing books across various spheres of knowledge, contributing to their global recognition.
• 18:30 - 19:00: The Myth of a Holy War This chapter explores the cultural and intellectual advancements in the Islamic world, emphasizing the spirit of learning and innovation. It highlights how the necessities of Arab nomadic life, such as navigating by stars, evolved into sophisticated astronomy. This knowledge further advanced with the establishment of Islam, influencing architectural practices like mosque construction.
• 19:00 - 19:30: Christian Assimilation of Islamic Culture The chapter explores the Christian assimilation of Islamic culture, particularly focusing on the influence of Islamic scientific and mathematical practices. It discusses how Muslims addressed complex mathematical problems related to religious practices, such as aligning architectural orientation towards Mecca, and the timing of festivals according to the lunar calendar. This adoption and adaptation of Islamic culture by Christians are examined, highlighting a natural embracement and integration of scientific inquiry and learning.
• 19:30 - 20:00: The Birth of Renaissance Through Islamic Influence The chapter discusses the early influence of Islamic culture on the Renaissance, particularly through the assimilation of ancient Greek knowledge, which had been largely neglected in Northern Europe for centuries.
• 20:00 - 20:30: Toledo: A Hub of Cultural Exchange This chapter discusses the Arabs as natural inheritors of Greek learning, highlighting the historical exchange of ideas and information across the eastern Mediterranean since the Bronze Age. It notes that Greek concepts were influenced by Eastern and Egyptian cultures. The preservation of this knowledge in Alexandria's great schools and library is emphasized, as well as its subsequent transition to Arab hands in 641 AD with their capture of the city.
• 20:30 - 21:00: Cross-Cultural Collaborations in Toledo The chapter discusses the movement and influence of scholarly texts, particularly focusing on cross-cultural collaborations in Toledo. It mentions how many significant texts, like those of Aristotle, were translated into Arabic and further commented on by Muslim scholars such as Avicenna and Averroes. These texts not only influenced the intellectual landscape of regions like Fez but also signify the extensive cultural and intellectual exchanges across territories, including Al-Andalus. The chapter highlights the richness of these cross-cultural interactions, signified by examples like early Arabic translations of the Bible.
• 21:00 - 21:30: Learning from Islamic Spain In this chapter titled 'Learning from Islamic Spain,' the focus is on the cultural and intellectual advancements in Islamic Spain during its time as a leading center of learning. The chapter highlights the widespread use of Arabic as the lingua franca, which was so prevalent that even the Bible was written in Arabic. This contrasts sharply with Europe, where ancient Greek texts and the rational inquiries they encouraged were often suppressed or viewed as blasphemous. The chapter also touches on the prolonged struggle between Christianity and paganism that had been ongoing for centuries by the time of Prophet Muhammad's emergence.
• 21:30 - 22:00: Integration of Arabic Knowledge into European Education The chapter titled 'Integration of Arabic Knowledge into European Education' discusses the skepticism early Christians had towards Greek and Roman pagan texts, exemplified by the closure of Athenian schools of philosophy by the Christian emperor Justinian in 529 A.D. It contrasts this with the vibrant Islamic culture of the time, suggesting that Europe appeared introspective in comparison.
• 22:00 - 22:30: European Intellectual Transformation After the fall of Rome, Europe was in a state of crisis characterized by a power vacuum and tribal conflicts over territories. This era was later known to Christian scholars as the Dark Ages, during which Europe was exposed and vulnerable, while Islamic powers were expanding and consolidating their land and power.
• 22:30 - 23:00: Final Days of Islamic Spain The chapter discusses the early 8th-century expansion of the Arabs into Europe by first converting the Berber tribes in North Africa. The narrative highlights the strategic importance and the symbolism of the narrow nine-mile waterway separating Spain and Morocco as a cultural boundary.
• 23:00 - 23:30: Impact of Isabella and Ferdinand's Rule The chapter discusses the historical significance of Isabella and Ferdinand's rule, focusing particularly on their impact on navigation and sea travel during their reign. It highlights how the seas served as major routes for interaction between Europe and Africa, challenging the perception of the seas as barriers. This point is illustrated by referring to events from the eighth century when sea travel facilitated connections across regions.
• 23:30 - 24:00: The Spanish Inquisition The chapter discusses the rapid expansion of Muslim tribesmen who invaded Europe across the Straits of Gibraltar, quickly colonizing nearly all of Spain within four years. They continued their advance beyond the Pyrenees and into France, where they were eventually stopped at Poitiers. This marked a significant halt in their sweeping conquest across two continents.
• 24:00 - 24:30: The Expulsion of Muslims and Jews This chapter explores the historical event of the Muslim invasion of Spain, an event often viewed by Spanish historians as a severe and violent incursion onto Christian Europe. The Muslims referred to Spain as 'al-Andalus,' meaning 'the land of the Vandals,' a name derived from the Germanic tribe that ruled Spain during this period, known as the Visigoths. The narrative suggests that the Muslim forces might have advanced as far as Britain, underscoring the perceived threat to the broader Christian lands.
• 24:30 - 25:00: Segregation and Persecution in Granada The chapter discusses archaeological findings at the Visigothic site of Rocopolis near Madrid. These findings suggest a different explanation for historical events than previously thought. Rocopolis was established as a royal city by the Visigoths to showcase the power of their new state, characterized by its spectacular dimensions for that time.
• 25:00 - 25:30: Legacy of Muslim Contributions in Spain The chapter titled 'Legacy of Muslim Contributions in Spain' explores the profound impact of Muslim civilization on Western Europe, particularly in Spain. The passage highlights the significant discoveries and transformations brought by Muslims, especially in addressing crises within urban and social structures. The narrative focuses on the contrast between the cities' states before and during the Muslim invasion, noting the comprehensive urban and cultural developments instigated by Muslim influence in Al-Andalus.
• 25:30 - 26:00: The Romanticism and Political Use of History The chapter explores the romanticized and political interpretations of historical events, focusing on the narrative of the Arab arrival in Spain. It challenges the orthodox Spanish historical account that portrays the Muslims as predatory invaders who forced the collapse of the Visigothic society. Instead, the chapter suggests that societal collapse began earlier, during a period of division, and not solely due to the Muslim invasion.
• 26:00 - 26:30: Franco's Manipulation of History The chapter titled 'Franco's Manipulation of History' explores the historical narrative surrounding the Visigoths and the Arab invasion. Contrary to popular belief, it is highlighted that the Visigoths welcomed the newcomers and treaties were made where they exchanged land for protection. The archaeological evidence from areas such as Recopolis supports this peaceful transition, showing no signs of violence during the Arab invasion. This challenges the violent historical narrative often associated with such invasions.
• 26:30 - 27:00: Span Dreaming of a Homogeneous Identity The chapter discusses the historical transition of the Islamic world's influence into Europe, particularly through Spain. It highlights how Muslims aimed to build a new society and foster enthusiasm for learning. The intent was not to conquer, but to liberate the local population from the Latin rulers' oppression.
• 27:00 - 27:30: Spain's Indigenous Ties to Islam The chapter titled "Spain's Indigenous Ties to Islam" discusses the transformation of the Arab mind upon relocating from their barren homeland to the fertile and rich lands of Spain. This change, described as a move from an inhospitable environment to a paradise on earth, highlights the profound impact of geographical and cultural shifts on the Arabs during this period.
• 27:30 - 28:00: Europe’s Inherited Islamic Knowledge The chapter titled 'Europe’s Inherited Islamic Knowledge' explores the significant impact of Islamic knowledge on European civilization. It highlights how this inherited knowledge laid the foundations for a new, progressive, and sophisticated society during a time when Europe was experiencing the decline of its states. This transfer of knowledge played a crucial role in transforming the continent's history, leading to the birth of a great civilization.
• 28:00 - 28:30: Reconciling East and West's Shared Histories The Muslim invasion of Spain was initially swift and effectively executed, yet it suffered from a lack of strong leadership. The first invaders were North African tribesmen who had only recently embraced Islam and did not have ties to the Arabian power structure. This set the stage for major changes, highlighted by an emerging political coup in the Muslim world's capital, indicating a potential shift in power dynamics.
• 28:30 - 29:00: Conclusion: Bridging Cultural Gaps In this concluding chapter titled 'Bridging Cultural Gaps,' the narrative focuses on the story of Prince Abdal Rahman. Following the massacre of his family by the ruling dynasty, the young prince, Abdal Rahman, manages to escape and seeks refuge in the hills west of Damascus. Abdal Rahman, whose mother was North African, likely grew up hearing stories about al-Andalus, hinting at the cultural influences that might shape his pursuits or leadership. This chapter likely discusses themes of survival, cultural integration, and the influence of diverse heritage.

When the Moors Ruled in Europe | Bettany Hughes | When The Muslims Ruled in Europe Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 the year is 1492. christopher columbus is about to embark on his world shattering voyage to the americas [Music] and on his way to the coast he stops off here at granada
• 00:30 - 01:00 he's the honoured guest of a ceremony hosted by the king and queen of spain ferdinand and isabella [Music] they are celebrating a grand victory up until this day granada had been ruled by muslims
• 01:00 - 01:30 but isabella has managed to wrestle control from them ferdinands and isabella's victory marks a turning point for spain and for europe the middle ages are over and the west is about to embark on a new epoch of power and discovery we tend to think of this as the beginning of an era in fact it's the climax of a forgotten chapter in european history the rise and fall of islam in the west
• 01:30 - 02:00 [Music] it was rudyard kipling who wrote east is east and west is west have never between shall
• 02:00 - 02:30 meet and it's a world view that still has currency today islam and christianity seem to have become ideological monoliths citadels whose gates are firmly closed to one another [Music] but they haven't always lived such separate lives in the year 711 a.d muslim forces invaded spain and created a society so
• 02:30 - 03:00 rich and so powerful it was the envy of the known world this wasn't the rigid ferocious islam of our imaginations but a progressive sensuous intellectually curious culture that for a number of spine tingling years look set to sweep through the whole of europe it is an incredible story but one that has been systematically written out of history [Music]
• 03:00 - 03:30 after the catholic monarchs took over the city of granada they began to destroy all evidence that the muslims had ever been in spain in the following century the spanish authorities persecuted and expelled 300 000 muslims and burned as many as a million arabic books
• 03:30 - 04:00 was an astonishing act of ethnic cleansing it put an end to a civilization which had flourished in spain for 700 years these people have become known as the moors [Music] propaganda sparked by the crusades has given us an enduring image the diabolical moor of dark-skinned
• 04:00 - 04:30 savage alien enemy but this character is a complete invention and tells us nothing about who these people really were [Music] now archaeologists and historians are starting to piece together the real story of the moors in spain they're uncovering the remains of hidden cities discovering the role of muslims in the revival of the classics
• 04:30 - 05:00 and decoding the meaning of islamic buildings a fascinating picture has emerged i'm going to use this new research to explore what happened when east met western europe if there is one place which challenges the stereotype of the treacherous bloodthirsty moor it's here the alambra palace in granada [Music]
• 05:00 - 05:30 the alambra is one of the most complete medieval islamic palaces in the whole world it was built by the muslim kings of granada in the 14th century at the height of their power [Music] its name means the red one because the dark surrounding soil has given its stones an earthy reddish hue [Music] the marvel of the alambra is its mystery not a single account of life here survives
• 05:30 - 06:00 all its archives were incinerated in the fires of the inquisition [Music] but the catholics couldn't bring themselves to destroy this place the alambra is one of the wonders of the medieval world and by preserving it they've kept a box of secrets that we can use to decode the civilization that built it inside the palace walls the architecture is breathtaking
• 06:00 - 06:30 although the athletic of this courtyard is quite cool and minimal now in its heyday it would have been a riot of color grenada was very famous for producing silks we've had silk hangings billowing and debris and silk cushions and silk rugs where people laid out to eat their dinner and so listen to music in fact it's only when you get down to rug level that you appreciate one of the bits of magic of the place because from down here this pool acts like a kind of infinity mirror and the whole of the palace just looks as if
• 06:30 - 07:00 it's suspended in water [Music] every detail of the palace decoration seems to be part of a scheme row upon row of intricate geometric patterns are carved into the woodwork of the walls and windows [Music] this is the throne room it was the symbolic center of the palace and here the sultan had a kind of
• 07:00 - 07:30 psychological advantage over his subjects whereas he'd have stood here an eerie silhouette they'd have been blinded by the light that came streaming in through these brightly coloured stained glass [Music] windows [Music] the 19th century writer washington irving observed it's impossible to contemplate this abode of oriental manners without
• 07:30 - 08:00 feeling the early association of arabian romance one almost expects to see some dark eye sparkling through the lattice the abode of beauty is here as if it had been inhabited but yesterday [Music] but this is far more than just a beautiful building there's a specific reason why it feels
• 08:00 - 08:30 so harmonious the men who built it had a knowledge of complex geometry which had originated in the ancient world the first man to set down these mathematical principles was the greek philosopher of pythagoras pythagoras saw numbers everywhere in the universe but his brilliance was to understand the importance of the ratio between them [Music] professor antonio fernandez puertas has spent his life studying the alambra he's discovered that the whole of the
• 08:30 - 09:00 building from the ground plan to the wall decoration is based around one single ratio [Music] i think everything is so perfect because everything is under control of the proportion and very very simple you notice that there is something magic about these buildings there is something marvelous in your surroundings it's very very simple is the relation
• 09:00 - 09:30 between the ground and the elevations of the buildings it's as simple as that the king ordered a new palace he has a limited area to build the palace to west east and south he was limited then he did something genius ingenious and beautiful the king of granada asked his architects to harmonize each and every space within the palace according to a single set of proportions
• 09:30 - 10:00 a family of rectangles each related to the other if you want to get proportional rectangle you have the same base take the diagonal put it up yes and though you've got successive rectangle proportional rectangle the key to the ellambras design is the simple relationship between the side of a square and its diagonal if we use the diagonal
• 10:00 - 10:30 to make a rectangle and then the diagonal from that rectangle to make another we get a progression of rectangles the fourth rectangle is double the size of the first and the diagonals in this sequence are in fact the square roots of two three four and five a magical sequence and are they doing all this just with two set squares and a piece of string
• 10:30 - 11:00 yes that's very clever yes every part of the intricate network of spaces all the courtyards hallways the placement of every column was designed using inspired variations of this proportional system proportion is also in the elevation you have the kiosk here you build a square and with the diagonal you swing it up
• 11:00 - 11:30 nothing violated this incredibly elaborate system the alambra is a triumph of mathematics as much as it is of aesthetics mathematical ingenuity is the root of its beauty [Music] but no one talks about this everyone looks at the alambra just as an aesthetic experience
• 11:30 - 12:00 when you go to a concert and you listen mosta you listen a bit of them you listen verdi you don't know perhaps music but you notice that there is something magic yes it happens without the same you feel it the alambra is so enchanting it's all too easy to view it as a fairy tale palace isolated from history but
• 12:00 - 12:30 that is romantic nonsense this palace was the product of a very real very gritty history the alambra was built by a religious empire which at the pinnacle of its power dominated land from china to africa an empire which had the wealth and intellect to build such masterpieces an empire whose history goes back to the deserts of 7th century arabia
• 12:30 - 13:00 the alambra was the creation of the richest most intellectually powerful civilization in the world the roots of this cultural and religious explosion lie not in spain but in the deserts of arabia [Music]
• 13:00 - 13:30 at the beginning of the seventh century in saudi arabia something happened which was to change the religious makeup of the world forever [Music] a merchant called muhammad asserted that he had been visited by the archangel gabriel who had revealed to him the true words of god these revelations which came to muhammad throughout his life became known as the quran and the religion was islam
• 13:30 - 14:00 this is a time when people were experimenting with all sorts of cults and religions many of which fell by the wayside but the prophet muhammad and his followers made an important move they traveled to a desert oasis where they founded a city called medina with a foothold in medina islam was no longer just a nomadic desert cult it had an urban centre with a social structure
• 14:00 - 14:30 as the religion grew bigger so it grew more ambitious territorial expansion was a characteristic of nomadic arabs well before the arrival of muhammad tribal leaders would initiate ratzia or raids on their neighbors and with the advent of islam these gained some kind of spiritual significance this is what one commander was reported to have said in one of the earliest ever arabic chronicles
• 14:30 - 15:00 this land is your inheritance and the promise of your lord you've been tasting it and eating from it you have been killing its people and taking them into captivity you are arab chiefs and notables if you renounce this world and aspire to the hereafter god will give you this world and the hereafter they believed they were inspired by the power of god
• 15:00 - 15:30 [Music] within decades islamic arabs had reached as far as persia in the east in the west they'd conquered egypt jordan and much of north africa and were within spitting distance of europe but islam wasn't only interested in territorial expansion it was also a faith committed to the pursuit of learning [Music] among the prophet's first revelations
• 15:30 - 16:00 was the instruction seek knowledge [Music] this meant that from the very earliest days of islam literacy and religious study went hand in hand whereas a number of other religions of the day preferred to keep literacy the privilege of a clerical elite islam actively encouraged it in the ancient muslim city affairs in morocco there are many examples of this unique
• 16:00 - 16:30 integration of religion and education this is the carowind mosque in fez and it's still the heart of religious life here it was founded in 859 by a woman both as a religious and as an educational establishment [Applause] mosques were used for teaching grammar and literacy to ordinary people
• 16:30 - 17:00 [Music] in time colleges known as madrassas were set up this is the madrasa its walls are covered with the rich rhyming prose of the quran is only part of the complex which contains both it and the madrasa when the sultan abu anan founded the place
• 17:00 - 17:30 he built the mosque alongside madrasa it is most as you can see there is no separation [Music] when the quran was given to the prophet who was illiterate the angel told him reed
• 17:30 - 18:00 these inscriptions carved onto the walls are verses of poetry and can be found throughout the madrasa but i think the most important section is here what it says in arabic is i am the apogee of knowledge come you muslims
• 18:00 - 18:30 and learn because with knowledge you can become what you want to be in the future the medieval period knowledge was high on the agenda in the islamic world muslim societies produced many books in the various spheres of knowledge and these books came to be known worldwide [Music]
• 18:30 - 19:00 it wasn't just an enlightened attitude to reading which placed learning at the heart of the islamic world necessity was also the mother of invention [Music] because the arabs were nomads and desert traders who often had to travel in the cool of the night they were well versed in using the stars as guiding devices this developed into a very sophisticated study of astronomy then with the establishment of islam that knowledge was applied in a new way whenever a mosque was built the pranish
• 19:00 - 19:30 had to be orientated in direct relation to mecca and there were a number of religious festivals that had to fall on certain days in the lunar year these were complex mathematical problems for which the muslims devised precise solutions islam became a culture which naturally embraced scientific and mathematical investigation this uninhibited attitude towards learning meant that when muslims encounter the teachings of
• 19:30 - 20:00 other cultures they seized upon them vigorously in the very early days of islam muslims came into contact with a body of knowledge which had been ignored by most of northern europe for centuries the works of the ancient greeks it's once you look at a globe that it becomes particularly easy to understand
• 20:00 - 20:30 why the arabs were such natural inheritors of greek learning from the bronze age onwards there'd been a constant exchange of artifacts and information all across the eastern mediterranean and in fact a number of greek ideas stem from eastern and egyptian influences the bulk of this knowledge was preserved in the great schools and library at alexandria and then in 641 a.d the arabs take over the city and at a stroke
• 20:30 - 21:00 have direct access to this precious learning [Music] many of these texts found their way to fez this is an arabic translation of aristotle with an additional commentary by the muslim scholar avarois the translation is done in iraq and then avarois does this commentary in al-andalus there's even an early arabic translation of the bible
• 21:00 - 21:30 that's extraordinary isn't it arabic's like the lingua franca and everybody's writing in arabic even the bible and thus ends the gospel of mark the apostle the contrast with europe at this time could not have been greater here ancient greek texts and the rational investigation they contained were often feared as blasphemous when the prophet muhammad was born christianity had already been battling with paganism for 600 years
• 21:30 - 22:00 trying to persuade believers to turn away from their old gods to the one new god and because of that christians were often suspicious of greek and roman pagan texts for instance in 529 a.d the christian emperor justinian closed down the athenian schools of philosophy [Music] set against this vibrant islamic culture europe can appear an introspective and
• 22:00 - 22:30 intellectually cautious place it was certainly a continent in crisis after the fall of rome there was a power vacuum in europe with rival tribes squabbling for territories it was the start of what later christian scholars would describe as the dark ages [Music] while europe lay unprotected and vulnerable islam was consolidating land and power
• 22:30 - 23:00 by the beginning of the eighth century the arabs had converted the berber tribes at the very tip of north africa and before long troops were gathered on the coast their eyes fixed on europe this little stretch of water between spain and morocco is only nine miles wide but it's come to represent some kind of cultural chasm
• 23:00 - 23:30 between europe and africa but in the eighth century when sea travel was the way to get around that wasn't a barrier it was a highway [Music] in july 7-eleven seven thousand berber
• 23:30 - 24:00 tribesmen stormed across the straits of gibraltar and invaded europe [Music] the muslims then began an incredible process of expansion in just four years they'd colonised almost the whole of spain had crossed the pyrenees and were only halted at poitiers in france were it not for this reverse an army which had swept across two continents
• 24:00 - 24:30 might easily have crossed the english channel and occupied britain the muslims called the country they came to al andalus the land of the vandals this refers to the germanic tribe who ruled spain at the time the visigoths spanish historians have traditionally seen the muslim invasion of spain as a terrible and violent attack an assault on christian europe
• 24:30 - 25:00 [Music] in fact here at the visigothic site of rocopolis near madrid archaeologists have found evidence which offers a rather different explanation the city of rocopolis in fact was the royal city founded by the vici gods in order to demonstrate the power of the new state dimensions were spectacular for this period
• 25:00 - 25:30 and this complex is the the most important discovery in western europe what was it at the time that the the muslims were invading but what was the state of the city then they founded not only here in this part of liberia but in everywhere of the alandalus they funded a cities in crisis social crisis of urban crisis the traditional explanation is this idea
• 25:30 - 26:00 that when the arabs came the society collapses and the citical asset is not is not true the collapse of the city started during the division period [Music] if you read the orthodox spanish histories then you'll learn that predatory muslim hordes forcibly appropriated visigothic spain and there certainly were some invasion battles but at many places
• 26:00 - 26:30 like here at recopolis it seems the newcomers were actually welcomed with open arms we even have treaties where the visigoths enthusiastically hand over their land in return for effective muslim protection when you're excavating did you find any evidence of violence at the time of the arab invasion we don't have evidence of violence not not at all in in this area was a peaceful and archaeology in showing another landscape no
• 26:30 - 27:00 an explanation the muslims started to build a new society the enthusiasm for learning that the islamic world had spent years nurturing was about to be transmitted to europe we went into spain not to fight against the people there but to save them from the tyranny of the latins and others that govern them at the time
• 27:00 - 27:30 they found a paradise on earth when the arabs changed location change geography from their inhospitable barren homeland and move to a rich and fertile country this was to transform the arab mind
• 27:30 - 28:00 this is the secret of how such a great civilization came to be born [Music] the foundations of a new society had been laid a self-confident progressive and sophisticated civilization had arrived among the failing states of europe and the continent's history was about to be transformed
• 28:00 - 28:30 the muslim invasion of spain had been swift and effective but it lacked a strong leadership the first wave of invaders were north african tribesmen only recently converted to islam and without connections to the power base of arabia but this was about to change [Music] in the capital of the muslim world a political coup left all the members of
• 28:30 - 29:00 the ruling dynasty massacred all that is except for one a prince called abdal rahman abdul rahman was in his late teens when his family was massacred he managed to escape the slaughter and fled to the hills west of damascus [Music] his mother had been from north africa and abdar akhman must have grown up hearing tales of al andalus
• 29:00 - 29:30 and so he made a dangerous journey across the nile and the deserts of egypt heading for those distant lands [Music] abdar rahman brought culture and learning from the center of the islamic world straight to the heart of al-andalus
• 29:30 - 30:00 when abdar rahman arrived in spain he came here to cordoba where the city was in complete disarray that roman bridge had collapsed into the river but abdal rahman said to rebuilding the city you have to remember that it's in this context that the arabs arrive not as marauding destroyers but sometimes as saviors abdar rahman brought cutting-edge technology for irrigation to spain
• 30:00 - 30:30 almost immediately the landscape was [Music] transformed [Applause] palm trees lemon and orange groves avocados artichokes and pomegranates none of which had been seen in europe because of abdar rahman's sophisticated trade network this new agriculture created huge wealth
• 30:30 - 31:00 [Applause] [Music] and these riches were used to build one of the greatest cities in the world while the inhabitants of london were still living in wooden houses the people of cordoba had built a cosmopolitan city with a population of over 100 000 the largest settlement in europe reports from european visitors to cordoba describe a city with 70
• 31:00 - 31:30 libraries and over 300 public baths the accounts tell of houses with running water and roads illuminated by streetlights you often have to take medieval sources with a fairly substantial punch of salt because then chroniclers were extremely fond of exaggeration but in fact the new excavations here at cordoba are actually revealing a city that was just as rich as the one that they
• 31:30 - 32:00 described these monumental palace walls belong to a muslim aristocrat and this channel over here is part of the water system that brought cordoba its famously effective sewage works as well as the fountains and the baths that so impressed all those european visitors [Music] cordoba was described by a 10th century german visitor as the ornament of the world
• 32:00 - 32:30 one of the reasons it's been so difficult to investigate islamic cordoba is that the city's been built up on itself like a kind of layer cake but here the archaeologists have taken away the modern level to reveal that islamic layer there and then down at the bottom a roman mosaic abdal rahman built quarterback on top of what had been one of the largest cities in rome and spain outshining all that went before
• 32:30 - 33:00 and his greatest achievement was this the great mosque of cordoba [Music] [Music]
• 33:00 - 33:30 [Music] with a floor space the size of four football peaches this is the largest mosque in western islam the forest of 600 marble columns disappear into the distance creating a mesmeric infinity effect on the columns arches balance on top of
• 33:30 - 34:00 one another its shell-shaped prayer niche has an extraordinary acoustic making any words spoken inside audible to the entire congregation [Music]
• 34:00 - 34:30 when the mosque was first built these archways would have been opened to allow people and light to stream in and out and this courtyard was a central part of the complex people would come here to richly purify themselves before they worshipped or just to gossip and do business abdar rahman's original mosque was only a fraction of the size of the building that stands today
• 34:30 - 35:00 over a period of 200 years rulers would extend the mosque three times it's been suggested that the mosque was enlarged because each new ruler of the city wanted to stamp his authority on the building but there's also a more straightforward explanation the kaudaba mosque had to accommodate the burgeoning number of worshippers the muslim population of spain was growing
• 35:00 - 35:30 fast [Music] modern spain has been reluctant to acknowledge that its indigenous population converted to islam in droves standard history books present the muslim occupation of spain as something it was superficial just a surface colonization by an arab elite not a presence that had any kind of lasting impact on the bulk of the population
• 35:30 - 36:00 [Music] new archaeological evidence is turning that idea on its head [Applause] [Music] all over spain cities like cordoba were established [Music] even madrid was founded by muslims the original arab walls still stand behind the royal palace how far did muslim communities spread through spain
• 36:00 - 36:30 we see remains dating from the time of the landlords almost everywhere not only in the south of spain but also in other parts of spain they are emerging lots of sites fortresses villages and cities almost everywhere people were arabians losing the form of latin they were speaking unto them and they were islamized in the sense that they dropped christianity and converted to islam in massive numbers really were these forced conversions or was the idea of islam particularly attractive it's always very difficult to say why someone
• 36:30 - 37:00 converts to another religiousness but uh i think there's no evidence of any force force forced conversion at all in a way the uh islamization and analyzation of territories like landlords is very similar to what happened to the roman empire when people wanted to convert to the values and to the cultural values to the religious values and to the way of living of what seemed to be a civilization which have lots of advantages i think
• 37:00 - 37:30 it's very easy to forget that that at this moment in time islam is a culture of innovation isn't it you said it's drawing in ideas from the east it's a culture of uh phenomenal innovation the opportunities of living because of the market because of the trade relations and so on which were much more interesting the islamization of spain did more than change the name of the god that people worshipped
• 37:30 - 38:00 people converted because this was a religion which had something to offer them it had wealth it had social structure and it had intellectual power [Music] the arabs brought in one innovation that did more than any other to change the cultural makeup of europe and it's this paper the idea almost certainly came from the chinese via trade exchange and it is revolutionary technology unlike parchment and vellum it's cheap
• 38:00 - 38:30 and it's easy to mass produce and when the arabs come to spain they start to open paper making factories paper allows you to do three things very effectively you can gather information you can analyze and develop ideas in a very precise way and then you can disseminate your newfound knowledge to a wider world and in the 10th century that was a potent mix
• 38:30 - 39:00 cordoba's love of books became legendary whilst the royal library of france contained 900 books in this period just one of cordoba's 70 libraries amassed over half a million these books contain some of the most sophisticated studies of astronomy in the world in northern europe at this time there is nothing but there is nothing that can be considered the result of sophisticated astronomy
• 39:00 - 39:30 why do you think muslim scholars were particularly interested in in the heavens and the revolution of the stars i think they were interested in science in general terms for example calculating the sacred direction if you have to say your prayers you must face towards mecca calculating the direction of mecca from a given place is not so easy it is a complicated mathematical problem
• 39:30 - 40:00 for which the arabs had exact solutions from the 9th century one of the ways in which the muslims solved these problems was by developing a greek instrument called the astrolabe this is a calculator for telling the time of night or day if it's lined up on a star above the horizon the angle could be registered with a movable needle the measurement is then transferred to the reverse side of the astrolabe
• 40:00 - 40:30 where a base plate represents the geographical location and a star grid like a map of the heavens shows the position of the stars by aligning the needle to the grid using the measurements the time can be read off the face of the astrolave just like a clog the astrolabe enables nighttime navigation which helped to advance sea travel and this in turn set the stage for the coming era of worldwide exploration and discovery
• 40:30 - 41:00 [Music] cordoba and scientists were streets ahead of the rest of europe especially when it came to medicine this account comes from an islamic physician who encountered a christian doctor at work they brought me a knight who had an abscess on his leg and a woman suffering from consumption i made a plaster for the night and the swelling opened and improved for the woman i prescribed a diet to revive her consumption
• 41:00 - 41:30 but then the frankish doctor arrived and objected bring me a strong night with a well-sharpened battle axe he said the night struck a blow the marrow of the leg spurted out and the wounded man died on the spot as for the woman their doctor affirmed the devil must have entered her head then he grasped a razor and cut an
• 41:30 - 42:00 incision in the shape of a cross exposing the bone of the skull and rubbing salt into the wound the woman died in the instant i returned home having learned much about the medicine of the christians [Music] the hospitals of cordoba were performing operations which wouldn't be seen in the rest of europe for hundreds of years the city's most famous surgeon was a man called abu kassis he spent 40 years compiling a hugely
• 42:00 - 42:30 influential medical compendium chapter 30 dealt with surgery and these are just some of the instruments that were illustrated in that chapter this is a specialist device used by eye surgeons for the relief of hypertension and these two over here were employed to perform successful tracheotomies and in fact the ibukasis method was still
• 42:30 - 43:00 popular well into the 20th century as well as large scientific collections more everyday documents have survived from islamic cordoba these give a detailed insight to the society that was created here what kinds of things are being recorded on these bits of paper in this document it was written everything absolutely everything so does that mean that people in the lower classes of society could read yes there are poor people with a very
• 43:00 - 43:30 good education education is a way to be a better muslim so being a better muslim is means that you know the quran and you know everything of the law the law is not a king law it is the god law divine law divine law have you got any physical examples of these yes i have i have one well it is a contract about plowing the lands for two years we have to plant it
• 43:30 - 44:00 with wheat and food and he gets from this this proportion of the production the muslims give a new thing the land is mine i rent user land and you give me a part of the production people are interested not in having hunting lands like lord or squire in england the landlord rent his land and it's empowering as
• 44:00 - 44:30 well because if you're the lowest run of society and yet you have some rights to your own land and you can keep a lot of the produce yes [Music] [Applause] every piece of evidence from cordoba adds to the picture of a civilized and highly sophisticated city it had medical centers an organized legal system
• 44:30 - 45:00 and libraries full of academics and scientists working on ideas which were light years ahead of anything else in europe by the 10th century cordoba had become the official capital of al andalus [Music] people flocked here to work either in the city's shops and markets or on rented land outside in the year 912 a new ruler came to power
• 45:00 - 45:30 he was to take cordoba to even greater heights [Music] abdar rahman iii was only 21 when he became ruler of cordoba with a resounding statement of self-confidence he declared himself the khalif the commander-in-chief of the faithful with that title he claimed to be the supreme leader of the islamic world [Music] at a stroke he repositioned muslim spain
• 45:30 - 46:00 so it was no longer a western outpost but instead a key power in islam and to complement his role as khalif abdal rahman iii built himself one of the biggest royal palaces in the world [Music] while the english kings of the same period were living in modest wooden halls abdar rahman iii needed 000 workmen to construct this enormous
• 46:00 - 46:30 palace complex which was decorated with african white [Music] marble the alabaster palace surrounded by acres of date palms was described as a concubine lying in the arms of a black eunuch it was called madina al-zakhra after the caliph's favorite
• 46:30 - 47:00 archaeologists have reconstructed barely 10 percent of the original site the idea here is that the caliph dominates what he's really doing with the landscape is demonstrating that medina alfara is the strongest territory in the peninsula excavations reveal the city to be at the cutting edge of technical architectural and scientific development
• 47:00 - 47:30 now to do this on such an enormous scale requires incredible sophistication nothing like this existed in the world at the center of the complex lies abdal rahman's throne room [Music] what do you think drove abdar rahman to build such an opulent place [Music]
• 47:30 - 48:00 built during the last year of his life it was a symbol of consolidation of its economic and political power seated in this throne the caliph must have felt himself master of all lalandalos destiny visitors from all over europe were received here a monk from germany called john of course left a record of his trip you have to try and imagine the impression this
• 48:00 - 48:30 place would have made on don of course the walls were studded with tiles made of silver and gold and on the roof there was a massive representation of the heavens mechanical lions roared in the corridors and in the rafters there were mechanical birds that twittered away here in the center of the room there were two bowls filled with mercury that would catch the light and then send it shattering back out to dazzle the visitors this is what was written about the climax of his visit
• 48:30 - 49:00 when john arrived at the dais where the caliph was seated alone almost like a god head he saw everything draped with rare and costly coverings they do not use thrones or chairs as other people do but recline on demands or couches when conversing or eating their legs crossed over one another there is actually one detail at this account misses out the caliph did have a throne a mechanical throne that raised and then descended as if he was levitating among his
• 49:00 - 49:30 subjects [Applause] a refined court culture developed in the palace of madina al-zaja and this was to have an unexpected influence on the rest of europe what would the soundscapes of the palaces have been in the 10th century perhaps the most basic level would be the sounds of all the different fountains and small running currents artificial rivers running from room to room
• 49:30 - 50:00 [Music] on top of that we could have heard layer upon layer of different types of music and singing a variety of different professional instrumentalists we could easily have heard a loot player sitting in a corner or in any of the various different entryways [Music] there would be a slightly more formal presentation
• 50:00 - 50:30 of a singing girl what were these singers expected to do were they concubines as well well in some sense we're doing an injustice by just referring to them as singers these women were entertainers at every level they had to be able to converse they had to be able to discuss intelligent subjects they had to be able to compose poetry recite poetry
• 50:30 - 51:00 for arabs poetry is the single most important art of their culture if we look at a picture of the entire world there are only three cultures that we know of that had developed end rhyme by the 7th century china india and the arabs this early arabic love poetry directly influenced the development of literature in the rest of europe one of the primary characteristics of
• 51:00 - 51:30 this poetry is a constant focus on the feelings of the lover the poet is always complaining of the pangs of love and the distance of the beloved and we quite frankly almost never hear from the beloved love is a welcome malady those who are free of it want not to be immune and those who are stricken want not to be cured [Music]
• 51:30 - 52:00 the pain of separation and unrequited love are concepts that are very familiar to us and there is a direct connection to that early arab poetry [Music] in england some of our earliest and most enduring stories are romantic tales of knights and damsels a courtly love tradition brought here by travelling french poets called troubadours [Music]
• 52:00 - 52:30 and those troubadours were inspired by the singing slave girls of al andalus the courtly love tradition has long been seen as something european it came to form the basis of the western concept of romantic love but this cornerstone of our culture originated in islamic spain perhaps one of the most exciting moments the transfer if you will of
• 52:30 - 53:00 arab music and poetry from the south to the north happens in the year 1064 in the city of barbastro [Music] neighbouring french knights besiege the city which falls its booty includes hundreds of singing girls who go to the second in command william viii of aquitaine [Music] he already received a large number of moorish singing girls which he then took back with him to france
• 53:00 - 53:30 he died at a fairly young age and his heir william the ninth inherited this household at age 15 and william ix is known to us in literary history as the first troubadour [Music] so it's almost positive that william ix would not only have grown up as a child in a household in which there were arab singing girls at the age of 15 he actually became their master
• 53:30 - 54:00 it's one of the few moments where we can say that there's a transfer of singing girls from this point to that point and then the point of reception is precisely where the first flourishing of troubadour poetry emerges [Music] but the glorious court of madina al-zakra was not to last forever [Music] within the palace was sown the very
• 54:00 - 54:30 seeds of its destruction [Music] abdal rahman iii had invested much of his money and interest in art and culture and had paid very little attention to the military there were no generals at court and citizens didn't have to serve in the army this is important the mere fact that the army can't recruit from its own citizens means that it has to recruit more and more foreigners effectively
• 54:30 - 55:00 mercenaries this is part of the reason for the conflict which led to the ultimate collapse of the caliphate when an ambitious courtier usurped the caliphate the court split into factions once the 300 year old dynasty cracked it didn't take long for the palace to come under attack [Applause]
• 55:00 - 55:30 madina al-zakra was quickly smashed and plundered [Music] these are the telltale signs that the palace was violently destroyed their scorch marks on the marble made when the molten lead that supported the joists in the roof melted as the palace was burnt to the ground of course the history of spain would have been very different [Music]
• 55:30 - 56:00 if medina had continued unique dynasty had come to a terrible end and in the north of the country another religious power was eyeing up the rich lands of al andalus its name was christendom
• 56:00 - 56:30 [Music] arlandalus's golden age was over by the beginning of the 11th century abdal rahman's dynasty in cordoba had collapsed into chaos and disorder but what happened next was even more devastating [Applause] in 1095 pope urban ii made a call to arms
• 56:30 - 57:00 he ordered a war to remove islam from the holy lands [Music] popeurban speech is ajit prop at its finest when an armed attack is made against an enemy let there be one resounding cry from the soldiers of god it is the will of god it is the will of god the crusades had begun it didn't take long for this zealous warrior mentality to rouse the christians of northern spain
• 57:00 - 57:30 and what followed was as treacherous as any of the crusades in the holy lands [Music] the christians had always held on to the far north of the country and now they were gaining ground al-andalus had fragmented into a hodgepodge of isolated city-states suddenly muslim spain found herself under attack her palaces were raided and her cities laid to siege
• 57:30 - 58:00 between the 11th and the 13th centuries an army of christian kings took over the lands of al andalus every year this conflict is re-enacted in towns across spain this the victor's version of history glamorizes what was actually a dishonorable and dirty war when the christian comes they break
• 58:00 - 58:30 everything they come in summer when it is almost dry they put it fire after that they cut the trees the agriculture of alandalus was very sophisticated the more sophisticated something the more fragile is so the more easy
• 58:30 - 59:00 is to break it irrigation if you break the canal there's no more water so for some years people are starving so it's a scorched earth policy soon a brutal system of protection rackets emerged there is an alternative you pay me i don't destroy i don't burn your house how much you give me
• 59:00 - 59:30 i don't cut your trees uh how much do you give me this one it is a it is a way of the mafia in chicago for one century all the 11th century all the christians spain lives at the expense of muslim spain one by one the fragmented city-states of landaloos were terrorized
• 59:30 - 60:00 their solution was to fight fire with fire by bringing in troops from morocco this is the capital from the top of a column in cordoba it's a buzzing little scene you've got four musicians two who are playing pipes and two who are playing the loot but at some point the faces of the musicians have been smashed in this wasn't perpetrated by christian raiders
• 60:00 - 60:30 but by the new muslim power who had come to help al andalus the troops who came as military support were strict fundamentalists with a fierce and fighting reputation they were called the amaravids the amaravids were a tribe of nomads from the sahara they had black skin and wore veils that covered everything apart from their eyes when they went into battle they rode
• 60:30 - 61:00 light-footed versatile little horses and took with them camels and elephants but they were fiercest of all when it came to religion they preached a return to basic muslim values and when they came to al-andalus they were shocked by what they found there are people from the desert there is people newborn to the religion so they have a hard feeling of it evangelical islam yeah absolutely not
• 61:00 - 61:30 accustomed to civilization yeah what did they think had gone wrong with islam here they felt they have to purify things they said this is people very accustomed to civilization to science they're talking with christians with jews this is a mix that we don't like it we we want purified people with the barbaric christian raiders on one side and these new fundamentalist muslims on the other al andalus was crushed it descended into
• 61:30 - 62:00 corruption a christian king would provide military aid to a weak muslim king in return for a substantial payment of gold coin the whole of al-andalus was subjected to this system of extortion the trouble is modern spain chooses to remember this war rather differently
• 62:00 - 62:30 la reconquista the re-conquest is presented as a valiant crusade in which spain is returned to its rightful christian owners this pantomime version of history is personified in many of spain's national heroes the greatest of whom is a knight called guzman el bueno every town in spain has a street named after guzman albueno he's one of the country's best-loved
• 62:30 - 63:00 historical figures the story of when guzman defended the town of tarifa from muslim raids is well known in spain guzman's descendants the medina cedonia family became one of the richest landowners in the country the duchess of medina cedonia has discovered something remarkable about her illustrious ancestor is the first of the guzman family we
• 63:00 - 63:30 know about he is the founder of the family he came here and lived in this very [Music] house this is a family archive although it's more than that it is a rich source of documents from the medieval period and later was it right that one of your ancestors was involved in the spanish armada
• 63:30 - 64:00 the seventh duke was involved in that campaign [Music] this document dates from 1288 we know my ancestor was in al-andalus a year before because he bought a farm and this document mentions it it's a permit for him to export 300 bushels of wheat
• 64:00 - 64:30 look you can see the word weed and what it says is that he is allowed to take this overseas to where he is from so because of the grammar you can tell that he comes from overseas not that he was just visiting from overseas yes probably it refers to a place which was part of morocco much larger than than now a place where
• 64:30 - 65:00 neither wheat nor hay could grow [Music] the duchess had discovered that her ancestor the great christian knight guzman albueno was actually a muslim [Music] this is really a piece of human history it dates to 1297. the king refers to guzman as my vassal
• 65:00 - 65:30 because he is a foreigner if it wasn't written here i wouldn't believe it [Music] it was very common for muslims to ally themselves with christian factions especially when christians were warring with each other it must have been quite a surprise to discover that your your ancestor was a muslim see he was something yes a great surprise this is because there had been a
• 65:30 - 66:00 chronicle which dated back to the 16th century in which the guzman family had cleaned up its political and ethnic past man was said to have been born in leon they didn't just do this with the goodman family but with all the families that had doubtful ancestors ancestors of doubtful race they cleaned it all up
• 66:00 - 66:30 have a whole load of documents here from the spanish register and they turn everything we know about spanish history upside down the spanish are simply inventing history they have turned history into a fable the idea that the christians and the muslims were fighting a holy war
• 66:30 - 67:00 was created in spain long after the reconquest actually took place even spain's most famous hero the swashbuckling el cid is caught up in this fantasy in films and books el cid is celebrated as a kind of christian pinup a crusader in the fight against the terrible moor but el cid spent his life like albueno as a mercenary
• 67:00 - 67:30 fighting for whomsoever would pay him the name sid means the master in arabic so else it's an arabic name yes in fact he was the king of valencia when valencia was an islamic city and he didn't change anything there so he had muslim allies let's see that's not the story you hear is that no i think the the history is much more interesting that the history you hear so he was a christian king but he didn't force
• 67:30 - 68:00 the muslims that he controlled to convert no no he it was in fact we cannot see the reconquist as a processive of conversion this is a process of trial and error of people gaining lands and people gaining prestige it's just real politics it's all about getting that's it we are painting now everything with an um religious ideology but it's not so religion's a kind of convenient excuse rather than the driving force absolutely religion is always an excuse
• 68:00 - 68:30 elsie and guzman al bueno weren't simply christian soldiers fighting a muslim enemy if anything this was a civil war with both sides desperately scrabbling for land and wealth the idea that the reconquest was something cut and dried black and white something that cleaned up society is absurd i don't know who came up with that idea
• 68:30 - 69:00 the spanish historian palencia who said that the reconquista was nothing but a civil war between spaniards of two different faiths [Music] spain is full of dazzling reminders of how the righteous christians won the country back from the diabolical war the country's most popular saint is called santiago matamoros st james the moore slayer
• 69:00 - 69:30 but this romanticized version of history distorts the true nature of this conflict this was not a holy war al andalus was destroyed in a dirty grab for land which lasted for over 300 years and in this conflict the more refined society was the one least equipped for war
• 69:30 - 70:00 it was the christians who had little to lose and most to gain and what happened when the christians began to take over exposes a curious respect for muslim culture
• 70:00 - 70:30 when the christian king peter took control of seville in 1248 this is what he had made [Music] it is a beautiful building it was built for a christian and yet in every way it resembles an islamic palace [Music] on the walls there are inscriptions from
• 70:30 - 71:00 the quran and above the door there are dedications to its owner calling him khalif rather than king the conqueror has been conquered by the culture it's a tiny bit unexpected that when this christian king rebuilt this palace he made it appear so arabic it feels as if we're in the alambra here
• 71:00 - 71:30 well this palace has many relations with the alambra especially with the court of lions both builders king muhammad v of granada and king peter the first of castile were friends you have to consider that in europe at this time there was not an architecture of such a splendor comparable to london and this made a very big attraction for the christians and this is why this architecture was
• 71:30 - 72:00 used by the christian to show to the nobility of the kingdom the power the authority this room covered with this marvelous dome it symbolizes the power because it's the the heavens that turns around the king [Music] but the legacy of al andalus was to
• 72:00 - 72:30 affect more than the architecture of europe in the midst of this terrible struggle something incredible was to happen which would fire the minds of europeans and expand our intellectual horizons at the same time that it was being splintered by christian encroachment
• 72:30 - 73:00 alan de luz was at the center of one of the most influential shifts in thinking that europe has ever seen [Music] between the middle ages and the modern era europe underwent a massive intellectual and cultural revolution this shift known as the renaissance transformed the human experience
• 73:00 - 73:30 it prompted the exploration of science and the arts and changed the way that men and women saw themselves in relation to god the renaissance and the scientific revolution that followed were critical stages in the development of europe [Music] the origins of the renaissance are generally believed to lie in italy where a renewed interest in the classics had a huge impact on art and culture but the foundations of the renaissance were laid much earlier
• 73:30 - 74:00 and not in italy but in a town called toledo in islamic spain [Music] toledo was one of al-andalus's vulnerable city-states and in 1085 the christians seized control of it unusually the handover went very smoothly and as a result the muslims already living in toledo were allowed to remain as citizens and their mosques
• 74:00 - 74:30 were left untouched [Music] the city that emerged accommodated both muslim and christian spain at this time is a paradox on one hand tensions between muslims and christians are becoming unbearable and yet on the other there is a hugely beneficial intellectual evolution that is only possible because muslims and christians are living side by side
• 74:30 - 75:00 when toledo fell to the christians its doors were opened to travelers and intellectuals from all over europe these people mixed with the muslims in the city learning their language and reading their books [Music] many of the adventurers came from england in the late 1100s an englishman known as daniel morley traveled to europe to study but as his autobiography reveals he was
• 75:00 - 75:30 disgusted with what he found there i stopped a while in paris and there i saw asses rather than men pretending to be very important they had desks in front of them heaving under the weight of two or three immovable tomes but because they did not know anything they were no better than marble statues i did not want to get infected by a similar petrifaction but when i heard that the doctrine of the arabs was in fashion in toledo i hurried there as quickly as i could so
• 75:30 - 76:00 that i could hear the wisest philosophers in the world just as the fall of alexandria had made a massive body of greek knowledge available to the arabs 400 years previously now the christian conquest of toledo passed this storehouse of knowledge onto europeans who flocked here in their hundreds at the backs of shops and in courtyards groups of men started to gather together christians muslims and jews to work on texts that have been stored
• 76:00 - 76:30 in the archives of mosques and churches these were extraordinary manuscripts translations of aristotle and plato and euclid as well as original works by arabic mathematicians astronomers and alchemists this was a resource like no other in the rest of europe it was intellectual dynamite people came from all over europe all these works that were lost in europe could be
• 76:30 - 77:00 found in toledo there was lots of wisdom here how did the translators work together here in toledo in the first period uh there was usually two people working together and then another person who was learned in latin would write it down in latin and that was i think the target of working together and it was very clear i think it really made it more accurate uh because it was a teamwork how were these manuscripts been kept in toledo
• 77:00 - 77:30 well most of the translations were carried out in the 12th and 13th century that means for almost 900 years most of them [Music] and here we have the preface in red that's where we learn about the process of translation in this case we read that this book was translated by jared of cremona it is a medical treatise by even cena by david cena and it was
• 77:30 - 78:00 translated up arabic from arabic in latin into latin in toledo yeah it's a very rich document isn't it you get a sense of how valued these things were and there is all these little glosses on the right hand side people have been adding comments or explaining words that were not clear
• 78:00 - 78:30 [Music] [Applause] [Music] is this a looks like it's a work of aristotle yeah this is the rhetorica by aristotle rhetorica aristotle and here we are look his man is working on it hermanos yeah herman de german manager yeah even germans came all the way to tula to find all these texts in this case it is uh a commentary by alberous on the text of aristotle
• 78:30 - 79:00 and both are translated together so it's got added value because you've got new arabic thought coming into the classical yeah they are adding they are supplementing they are completing what was uh transmitted from the ancient world knowledge really is power at this time in history yes having a book was something very very valuable do you find during this process that words slip from one language to another absolutely
• 79:00 - 79:30 that word came into western languages as chemistry but we have another word alchemy that comes originally from greek through arabic they added the article in arabic al and that gave alchemy english is full of words which came into the language from arabic in this way [Music]
• 79:30 - 80:00 many of them describe mathematical concepts which were completely new to europe algorithms are named after an arabic mathematician and the concept of zero comes from the arabic which means empty it's where we get our word cipher from but of course the most obvious and lasting impact is the use of arabic numerals and in this spanish latin text which
• 80:00 - 80:30 dates from around about 986 a.d we have the first example of arabic numerals written in europe here they are one two three four five six seven eight nine imagine trying to do something like multiplication with roman numerals once the numbers get above a certain amount they are ridiculously unwieldy
• 80:30 - 81:00 this new agile numerical system made everyday things like bookkeeping and accounting more accessible mathematics developed and the construction of complex architectural projects became much easier
• 81:00 - 81:30 recently archaeologists renovating the roof timbers of salisbury cathedral in england made a discovery which clarifies this story [Applause] [Music] on some of the beams that support the roof there were a series of numbers that were carved in around 1200 a.d when the cathedral was built
• 81:30 - 82:00 now that's a three and obviously it's familiar to us today but in its time it was a curious and progressive symbol at this time everyone in england was still using the clunky old roman numerals but here in the rafters of one cathedral a new trend appears to have caught on these numbers the numbers that we use today the fact that they're here is
• 82:00 - 82:30 proof that the ordinary craftsmen who carved them benefited from an explosion of knowledge that started in arabia and spread through europe via islamic spain and the travellers from toledo brought more than just practical knowledge back to england after a number of years daniel of morley returned from toledo his cases crammed with documents and volumes and when he arrived in england he made an appointment to hand this precious
• 82:30 - 83:00 booty over to his patron who was a bishop this benefactor was one of a team of scholars who wanted to establish their town as a center of learning and the name of the town was oxford [Music] the universities that were founded in paris bologna and oxford at this time based their new curriculum on the radical ideas which were pouring out of toledo one of daniel of morley's compatriots a man called adelaide of bath
• 83:00 - 83:30 published this volume just after he got back from toledo and it's a collection of 76 very basic questions like why is the sea salty why are there tides how does the globe hang in the air and do animals have souls the questions are seemingly simple but they embody a new spirit of rational inquiry where a blind faith in god is challenged and adelaide of bath admits his debt to
• 83:30 - 84:00 the muslims in pursuing this line of inquiry he writes from the arabs i have learnt one thing to lead by reason i will detract nothing from god but very carefully listen to the limits of human knowledge only where this utterly breaks down should we refer things to god [Music] the muslims developed a massive program of translations in which they translated from greek into
• 84:00 - 84:30 arabic everything that had reached them and this was something that was promoted but the whole society and the result of this is that they translated practically all greek knowledge there's the first period in which they translate and they learn they assimilate later they had learned enough and they began
• 84:30 - 85:00 to produce original works by themselves and to criticize greek science and of course one cannot say that the arabs were mere transmitters of greek science they were the people that continued the work of greek scientists until they led all these research into a final crisis and this final crisis was the crisis that brought
• 85:00 - 85:30 the renaissance and the scientific revolution if they had not done this renaissance and scientific revolution would have been impossible it would take time for these groundbreaking ideas to become assimilated into christian europe but once they were western intellect was transformed the works of aristotle were taught in the new universities the medical treaties of avicenna were
• 85:30 - 86:00 used in hospitals and arabic translations of greek geometry and and those new arabic numerals were passed on to craftsmen and architects this was a critical stage in the growth of western thought we should no longer see the renaissance as a rebirth but the continuation of an intellectual movement which had been nourished centuries earlier by muslims
• 86:00 - 86:30 the italian renaissance is famous for reviving classical learning but in fact what's happening here 400 years earlier seems to be just as vital do you think that muslim scholars aren't giving due credit for what they're doing in islamic spain at this time it is not something that you would learn about in school probably even at university it was probably conscious process of neglect and now we are still suffering from that extremely selective history writing
• 86:30 - 87:00 that's right it is due to the conflict that existed between the two worlds these remarkable ideas were leaching out of al andalus at precisely the same time that the christians were flooding in the frontier which had started far north of madrid was gradually pushing southwards then in 1236 cordoba fell followed by
• 87:00 - 87:30 valencia and seville until by 1250 only the kingdom of granada remained muslim from now on spain would concentrate on cleaning the muslim presence from its country the islamic influence on europe has been quietly laid down but when it came to the physical expulsion of the muslims from spain that would be an act that was anything
• 87:30 - 88:00 but subtle it was shocking and absolutely the history of al andalus was about to take a new and sinister turn in the city of granada the muslims were to fall victim to one of the most shocking acts of ethnic cleansing that europe has ever seen
• 88:00 - 88:30 long after the rest of al-andalus had fallen to the christians grenada remained defiantly islamic protected by mountains and those giant watchtowers and forts the 70 000 muslims who lived here managed to hold off attack for another 200 years but time was running out while granada occupied a small territory in the south of spain the rest of the country was now divided between castile in the west and aragon in the
• 88:30 - 89:00 east two very powerful kingdoms the king of castile was about to be forced to pass his kingdom to his niece isabella isabella was headstrong and passionate but she also had an acute political mind in 1469 at the age of 18 she married her second cousin ferdinand the dashing heir to the throne of aragon now the two most powerful catholic dynasties in spain were united
• 89:00 - 89:30 and the reconquest was edging ever closer to completion was blocking isabella's vision of a unified spain and so it had to be reclaimed [Music] [Applause] the city was laid to siege for a year before it finally surrendered on the first of january 1492 ferdinand
• 89:30 - 90:00 and isabella dressed in elaborate moorish outfits which had especially made with great pomp and circumstance they entered the palace of alambra and took the keys to the city as the muslim ruler bo abdul left in tears it was said that his mother spat out at him do not weep like a woman for that which you cannot defend like a man isabella's victory in granada put an end
• 90:00 - 90:30 to an incredible society in the 700 years that they've been in europe the muslims of al-andalus had built a culture which was the very pinnacle of civilized life influencing europe in ways that we're only just beginning to understand and isabella would endeavor to ensure that islam in the west would never enjoy such a relationship again [Music] a few years after ferdinand and isabella
• 90:30 - 91:00 came to power they set up an organization that affected the most extreme form of religious control that europe has ever known the inquisition the purpose of the inquisition was to track down and eliminate anyone who wasn't an orthodox member of the catholic church those found guilty of heresy were subjected to a sinister public ceremony called an auto defey in this eerie ritual vestiges of which
• 91:00 - 91:30 are still performed today guilty were forced to repent their sins while their accusers washed on hidden under hooded caps the sinners were then detained some were burnt at the stake most had their homes and livelihoods taken from them
• 91:30 - 92:00 in 1526 the spanish inquisition came to granada to deal with the muslim problem muslims were labeled heretics and given a stark choice convert to catholicism leave the country or be punished the muslims of granada were segregated from the rest of the population their ghetto survives as the old quarter
• 92:00 - 92:30 of the city today [Music] it's a fantastic house many of the houses the muslims were forced out of are still standing it's almost inverted because you don't have any windows looking out onto the street but the focus is is in the middle here yes the courier is the center of the family life so all the doors and windows are open to the corridor and close to the to the street
• 92:30 - 93:00 privacy was one of the most important characteristics of these houses outside the house they were christian they went to the chart with the prius they celebrate the wedding in the christian way but then later they came home to celebrate again the wedding in the muslim style and what happened though when they when the inquisition came knocking on the door well as you see these houses have the
• 93:00 - 93:30 bent entry so from outside even if the door is open it's not possible to see what happens in the corridor the inquisitors went from door to door seeking out those they still suspected of being muslim a number of civic leaders had already been expelled and so often it was only women and children left they herded them up and held them in churches by night so they could be tried the following morning some of the women cried out that they
• 93:30 - 94:00 were like lambs being taken to the slaughter and wished that instead they'd been allowed to dine their own home [Music] the inquisition was so brutally efficient that within 20 years all muslims in spain had been forcibly converted to catholicism but this wasn't enough many still continued to practice their faith in private and so in 1609 the spanish crown ordered the removal of all muslims from
• 94:00 - 94:30 spain [Music] perhaps the most shocking thing in the expulsion is they were not actually expelling arabs nor were they expelling berbers the huge majority of the people that were being expelled by blood by dna if you will were as iberian as their christian cousins in the north who were kicking them out of the peninsula it's really quite it's an enormously different vision of what the expulsions were and what they meant when we realized that the people who were being thrust out were as native to the
• 94:30 - 95:00 peninsula as the christian kings why do you think the catholic authorities felt they had to expel the moors in 1609. the spanish empire for it was indeed by the empire simply felt pressed by in so many different directions uh they were very much afraid of the turks who were in fact raiding from north africa and raiding along the southern coast of spain they were fighting wars still in the americas
• 95:00 - 95:30 it was one internal problem that they simply could not deal with any longer [Music] in 10 years over a quarter of a million muslims were expelled from spain forbidden to take any possessions with them most sought refuge in north africa [Music] when isabella and ferdinand died this is where they were buried it's a little corner of the alambra and it's decorated with inscriptions from
• 95:30 - 96:00 the quran [Music] they read there is no true god but allah [Music] in many ways it's a curious choice for a christian entombment but it does speak of that complicated relationship that was enjoyed by the catholics and the muslims on one level it says that isabella and ferdinand were still
• 96:00 - 96:30 half in love with all things islamic but on the other it's a bold and uncompromising statement of control [Music] and in cordoba the new catholic rulers did something unbelievable in a daring act of what can only be described as inspired vandalism architects gouged out the center of the mosque in its place built one of the most spectacular
• 96:30 - 97:00 cathedrals in spain the result is a shocking and blasphemous conflation of two of the world's most powerful religions it is unnervingly beautiful but possesses an underlying schizophrenia as if a terrible and silent battle is being carried out in the very architecture of the building
• 97:00 - 97:30 [Music] spain's troubled relationship with its muslim past continued into the 20th century the dictator franco invented his own version of his country's heritage franco this period was somehow
• 97:30 - 98:00 interrupting what was for him a continuum history he wanted somehow to if not deleted he wanted to forget about it so what he did was to explain the whole muslim or the whole alandalus as a kind of continuum from the physical period to the catholic kings by saying that the muslims in landaloos were not such big good muslims but much more christianized
• 98:00 - 98:30 so this is the political use of history he wanted to explain the identity of being a spaniards and for franco that identity was a continuation from the visigothic period right through to the catholic people yeah exactly seraphin van gaal is an academic whose books on the history of al andalus are bestsellers in spain do you think that spanish people today are proud at all of the arabic episode
• 98:30 - 99:00 in their history or are they ashamed of it no no no no not at all strictly speaking it's not our past it's the past of other people i would feel very little connection with the arab past spanish people don't live like them we don't dress like them
• 99:00 - 99:30 and if i weren't a professor of arabic studies i would have absolutely no feeling for muslim culture [Music] for a very long time people have protested and urged that history be truthfully told that they not be fed this nonsense
• 99:30 - 100:00 but this is the inheritance of the inquisition the inquisition's character is alive and well i can tell you one thing spanish people have a tendency to prevent others from speaking their minds a tendency to try and control the way others behave and think you can be sure that when you try and speak the truth you pay for it and so al-andalus fell east became east
• 100:00 - 100:30 and west became west two distinct cultures politically and religiously divided and yet what the history of the moors shows is that these two cultures are also linked in ways that we might never have imagined [Music] the west has been inspired by islam but more than that it was in the very act of fighting the muslims that europe consolidated its identity [Music]
• 100:30 - 101:00 when we started christopher columbus was setting sail for the new world and as he pointed his boats westwards spain aligned herself with him turning away from the east the muslims had been fought and now they were to be forgotten as time went by memories of the islamic past were molded until they became a more comforting storybook version of history but this is a case where truth really is
• 101:00 - 101:30 stranger than fiction the story of al-andalus isn't a simple tale of good versus bad east versus west it's intriguing and complicated it's brilliant and brutal it's very human and it's very messy and it's for precisely that reason that it needs to be remembered not written out of the history books [Music]
• 101:30 - 102:00 well if you want to know more about the many cultures that have shaped and changed britain visit origination insight at channel 4.com culture coming up next on 4 father ted is tempted by a saucy novelist [Music] [Applause]
• 102:00 - 102:30 you