Out of the Dark Ages
In 7th century North Africa, Islamic Arabs were expanding their trade and territories that stretched from Egypt and Jordan to Persia. With the conversion of the Berber tribes, they also acquired a new army.
On the other hand, Europe entered the Dark Ages after the fall of the Roman Empire. It was in total cultural and intellectual decline while warring states further stripped already barren economies.
In 711, 7,000 Berber tribesmen, led by a Moorish commander from the Umayyad caliphate (present-day Damascus), crossed the straits of Gibraltar and invaded Europe. They intervened in the Visigoth wars and soon brought them under Muslim rule. Much of Portugal, Spain, and parts of France became known historically as Al-Andalus – “the land of the vandals.”
Tribes who have been fighting each other for centuries surrendered in exchange for peace and protection. But the Muslim invaders brought with them something more – agricultural methods, scientific knowledge and trade. And this was the reason why many Europeans actually converted.
Europe was pulled out of the Dark Ages. And under the Moors – it flourished.
Muslim leaders began to rebuild cities and introduced an irrigation system, which they had perfected in the Arab deserts, that was the most advanced Europe had ever seen. It yielded new crops such as lemon, avocados and sugarcane. They changed the topography by planting palm trees and orange groves.
Islamic Libraries
But the one innovation the Arabs brought that would have the biggest impact on the advancement of the West is paper. They had acquired the technology from Chinese prisoners captured during the Battle of Talas (present-day Kyrgyzstan), and opened paper-making factories in Baghdad then Toledo. Soon they built and filled libraries all over Spain. In Córdoba alone, each of its 70 libraries would contain half a million books. The library in France only had 900 at that time.
The Muslim world’s love for books was legendary. According to the Quran, one of the Prophet Mohammed’s first revelations was “seek knowledge.” It is in this spirit that madrasas were set up and children were taught reading alongside Islam. Other religions at that time reserved literacy only for the nobility and privileged.
Bayt al-hikma were also established. These were research institutes that collected texts connected to more secular subjects like science, technology, medicine and astronomy. It should be no surprise that the advancement of sciences in civilizations coincided with the building of libraries.
In addition to science and agriculture, the Arabs brought advancements in medicine. Muslim doctors were performing surgeries that would not be seen in the rest of Europe for centuries. In math, Arabic numbers replaced Roman numerals. The Arabs also brought with them the astrolabe, a navigational equipment that tracked the stars and local time and latitude. It allowed for more accurate sea travel, even at night.
Islamic libraries were open to the public. They came up with the original system of checking out books and cataloguing libraries according to subjects. The translation of literature became an important tradition. In Toledo, a School of Translators was established and scholars from all over the world came. Greek, Persian and Indian literature were translated into Jewish and Arabic. The school was responsible for preserving works in all the sciences and philosophies.
Duplicates of books were made and added to library collections. Translators and copywriters were hired by the caliphates. It is rumored that foreigners passing by were required to surrender books they were carrying so that a copy could be made. Sometimes it was the copy that was given back, and the originals were kept. Córdoba’s calligraphers were producing over 6,000 books a year.
Spain’s Golden Age
In 912, a new ruler, Abd al-Rahman III, also proclaimed himself the first caliph of Córdoba, the supreme leader of the faithful. A lover of art and architecture, he built a palace modeled after the caliphate in Damascus and added thousands of mosques during his reign. It made the city an Islamic center and brought about Moorish Spain’s golden age. But as a humanist, he also made sure to tolerate and welcome other religions. Spain at that time had the highest population of Jews. Córdoba overtook Constantinople as the largest, most prosperous and most important intellectual center in Europe.
Reconquista
Unfortunately, this focus on knowledge, arts, architecture, science and culture meant they spent less effort on securing the empire. Their minimal military was dominated by mercenaries for hire, mostly the same Berber tribes and soldiers from Morocco who ended up seeking power and bounty for themselves. The palace in Córdoba was sacked and burnt to ruins at the end of the 11th century.
To make matters worse, the Roman Catholic Church, under Pope Urban II, sanctioned the Reconquista of Spain from the Moors. This was part of the Crusades that laid claim to Jewish, Islamic and Slavic lands.
It was a dirty war. The Christian army burnt farms and cut off canals, starving the inhabitants of Al-Andalus. They terrorized and exploited those who survived.
With no proper army to defend them, the Muslim cities of Toledo, Valencia, Seville, León, Zaragoza and Córdova fell one by one. Granada was the last stronghold, but it, too, would fall in 1492. Cardenal Ximénez de Cisneros, head of the Inquisition, ordered all non-Catholic books to be burned in the public square. Over a million Arabic books went up in flames. And with the expulsion of the Muslims afterward, the most advanced civilization of the time was destroyed.
