Oxford University Press Espaa S.A.

, 2013
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5

Islam and al-Andalus
What do we know?
OBJECTIVES
1- Understand the role of Muhammed in Islam. Understand the 5 pillars of
Islam
2- Recognise the political, economic and social characteristics of Islamic
civilisation
3- Identify the structure of Islamic cities
4- Recognise the main features of Islamic art and architecture
5- Identify the periods in the history of al-Andalus
6- Understand the economic and social characteristics of Islamic civilisation
in al-Andalus
7- Identify the main characteristics of daily life in the cities of al-Andalus
8- Describe the characteristics of al-Andalus culture and architecture
CONTENTS
1- THE ORIGIN AND EXPANSION OF ISLAM
2- ISLAMIC POLITICS, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
3- ISLAMIC CULTURE, ARCHITECTURE AND ART
4- AL-ANDALUS: POLITICS, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
5- DAILY LIFE IN THE CITIES OF AL-ANDALUS
6- AL-ANDALUS CULTURE AND ARCHITECTURE
THE ORIGIN AND EXPANSION OF ISLAM

Islam originated in the Arabian Peninsula (Polytheistic Arab nomads)
Islamic prophet: Muhammed (Mecca, 570)
Religion of Allah (God)
Koran (Muslims sacred book, written in Arabic)
Five pillars of Islam (duties/obligations):
Faith (Allah is God and Muhammed his prophet)
Pray 5 times a day (facing Mecca)
Fast* during the month of Ramadan
Give alms to people in need
Go on pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime Kaaba sanctuary
Muhammeds doctrine was prohibited and he had to escape to Medina. From
there he organized his army to conquer Mecca in 630
Expansion of Islam across the rest of Arabian Peninsula under Muhammeds
leadership

* It is common to have one meal (known as the suhoor), just before sunrise and another (known as the iftar), directly after sunset.
The origin and expansion of Islam
When and where did Islam originate?
What are the five pillars of Islam?
ISLAMIC POLITICS, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
POLITICAL ORGANISATION
CALIPHS Mohammeds successors (conquest of territories)
MAIN POLITICAL AUTHORITIES
o The caliph highest political and religious authority
o The vizier (hayid) prime minister
o Royal treasurers (diwans) in charge of collecting taxes
o Emirs (walis) governors of provinces
o Judges (qadis) applied laws
STAGES OF THE CALIPHATES:
The Orthodox Caliphate (632-661): first 4 caliphs (close to Muhammed).
Capital Medina and Kufa
The Umayyad Caliphate (661-750): power of Umayyads (the first great
Islamic dynasty). Capital in Damascus (Syria)
The Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258): The Abbasid dynasty ruled and moved the
capital to Baghdad.

Islamic political organisation
What were the differences between the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates?
How many types of Islamic officials can you name? What did each do?
The expansion of Islam
In which region did Islam expand during Muhammeds life?
In which period did Islam expand to the Iberian Peninsula?
ISLAMIC POLITICS, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
ECONOMY
Agriculture: (except in the Arabian Peninsula)
Various techniques to obtain water and
transport it to the cultivated areas
Craftwork:
tanning of hides
tapestries, carpets and cotton/silk, etc
jewellery, ivory, perfume, weapons
Trade (main activity)
Markets (souks) in cities
Use of coins for commercial exchange (dinar, dirham, fals)
External trade (ex: Silk road)


Water wheels
Irrigation channels
silk, precious stones, spices from East
Gold, ivory from Africa
The economy
What was the function of the machine shown in this image?
What other economic activities were important?
ISLAMIC POLITICS, ECONOMY AND SOCIETY
SOCIETY : Formed by


Main cities: Damascus, Baghdad, Samarra, Cairo, Kairouan, Fez, Cordoba
Areas inside a city:
Alcazaba (citadel): high and walled area formed by:
the alczar (palace of the wali/emir
administrative and government buildings
building of the army/defense (garrison)
The medina: central part of the city, formed by
the mosque
the madrasa (college)
the souk
The public baths, hospital, etc
The arrabales: neighbourhoods outside city walls

Aristocracy (caliphs, emirs)
Free people (traders, landowners, muslims, christians, jews pay
taxes)
Slaves (war prisoners)
Islamic cities
What were the main social groups in Islamic society?
What were the functions of the places labelled on this image?
ISLAMIC CULTURE, ARCHITECTURE AND ART
CULTURE
o Contributions from Persians, Chinese, Indians
o Translation of Greek philosophers and transmission of this knowledge to the
medieval Christian world
o Main advances: - mathematics (adoption of Hindu numbers; zero)
- medicine (Avicenna: one of the most important
doctors of medieval times)
- literature (Thousand and one nights, 9th century)
- Technical advances: astrolabe, compass, paper
ARCHITECTURE AND ART
o Architecture: the most important form of artistic expression
o Main buildings: palaces and mosques
o Characteristics

- Basic materials were covered with plaster, tiles
- Different kinds or arch
- Different vaults and domes
- A lot of decoration in the interiors of buildings

Islamic architecture
What were the main features of Islamic architecture?
What are the names of these three types of arches?
Islamic architecture
Where would you find the features shown in these images?
What is each one called?
Islamic architecture
What building is shown in this image? What was its function?
Can you name the different parts of the building? What happened in each one?
AL- ANDALUS
POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT
711: Arabs and Berbers arrived in the Iberian Peninsula

Defeat of Visigoths BATTLE OF GUADALETE:

THE MOORS CONQUERED ALMOST ALL THE PENINSULA AND
NAMED IT AL-ANDALUS




AL- ANDALUS
PERIODS IN THE HISTORY OF AL-ANDALUS
1) Dependent emirate: Governed by an emir Advance towards the north
Defeat of Poitiers (732)
2) Independent emirate: Governed by emir Abd-al- Rahman I (Umayyad)
Political (not religious) independence from Baghdad
3) Crdoba Caliphate Governed by caliph Abd-al- Rahman III (929)
Political and religious independence from Baghdad
4) Taifa kingdoms and North African dynasties (11th century)
Division of al-Andalus into taifa kingdoms (weak)
northern Christian kingdoms take advantage and conquer lands from Muslims
Muslims get help from Almoravids and control the area again until 12th cent.
5) The last Taifa and Nasrid Kingdom
Division again into taifa kingdoms
12th cent: Almohads ruled the area but later defeated by Christians.
Nasrid kingdom of Granada survived till 1492 (Catholic monarchs conquest)

AL- ANDALUS
ECONOMY

Agriculture: Main activity
Livestock (sheep)
Craftwork (leather, gold/silver, pottery, leatherwork, etc
Trade (controlled by the almotacn) strategic location of al-Andalus

-Import of slaves, luxury goods (spices, gold)
- Export of textiles, oil, leather, pottery, etc

cereal, olives, vines
Rice, oranges, sugar-cane
AL- ANDALUS
SOCIETY
Muslims
Arabs (minority most powerful)
Berbers (lived from livestock farming)
Mulades: converted muslims (peasants)
Non-muslims
Christians: Mozarabs (non converted to Islam)
Jews: trade, craftwork, finance


Paid special taxes
Couldnt hold political office
Couldnt practise their religion
in public
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus: cities
Houses close together
Groups of people with same profession/religion
(Mozarabs and Jews) own neighbourhood
Public baths for men and women
Main mosque in the medina: aljama
AL-ANDALUS: CITIES
ORGANISATION OF THE CITY
The alcazaba palace of the Alczar
The medina walled city with gates; inside: souk and principal mosque
most cities had a drainage system and public baths
The arrabales (outside) they had mosques, souks and public baths too
Around the cities almunias (country houses) property of rich people
Flat ground religious celebrations
training of the army


Al-Andalus: houses
What were houses in al-Andalus like?
Which rooms are shown in the image? What is happening in each one?
AL-ANDALUS: CULTURE AND ARCHITECTURE
CULTURE:
Al-Andalus One of the great cultural centres of the medieval world
Distinguished philosophers and writers
MOORISH ARCHITECTURE:
PERIODS:
Caliphal: Great Mosque (Cordoba); Medina Azahara; Bib-al Mardum (Toledo)
Taifa: Aljafera Palace (Zaragoza)
Almohad: the Giralda, The Torre de Oro (watchtower in Sevilla)
Nasrid: Alhambra Palace (Granada)


Al-Andalus: architecture
Which period of Islamic architecture is shown in this image?
Which features of that style can you see in the image?
Al-Andalus: architecture
Which period of Islamic architecture is shown in this image?
Which features of that style can you see in the image?