The story of the Arabs in Spain

Ali Al-Jarim presents to us a sad contrast in the history of Spain. Twelve years ago, Tariq Al-Mur added the land of the Visigoths to the long list of kingdoms subdued by the Muslims. For nearly eight centuries, under its Muhammadan rulers, Spain set an outstanding example for Europe of a civilized and enlightened state. Its fertile provinces, which became doubly productive thanks to the skill of its people in industry and engineering, yielded a hundredfold. Countless cities arose in the rich valleys of Guadelquivir and Guadiana, whose names and only names still revive memories of their fading glorious past. Art, literature, and sciences flourished, more than anywhere else in Europe. Students flocked from France, Germany, and England to drink from the fountain of learning that flowed only in the cities of the Moors. Surgeons and doctors in Al-Andalus were at the forefront of science: women were encouraged to dedicate themselves to serious study, and the lady doctor was unknown among the people of Córdoba. Mastery of mathematics, astronomy, botany, history, philosophy, and jurisprudence was reserved for Spain and Spain alone. Practical work in the field was perfected, scientific methods of irrigation, fortification arts, shipbuilding, the finest and most detailed products from the loom, the hammer and chisel, the potter's wheel, and construction shovels were perfected by the Spanish Moors. In warfare, no less than in arts of peace, they remained long at the forefront. Their fleets challenged Mediterranean leadership with the Fatimids, while their armies carried fire and sword during Christian marches. The master of himself, the national hero, fought long on the Moroccan side, and in everything except education, he was more than half Moorish. All that makes a great and prosperous kingdom, and all that tends toward refinement and civilization, exists in Muslim Spain.