The history of Spain illustrates the effects of certain religions and cultures on the Spanish style of life, traditions, language, and population. Many tribes and religions have invaded Spain over the years, including the Visigoths (416 AD) and the Germans (411 AD) (Eggers 39). Contemporary Spain has clear evidence of the Spanish invasion. This essay purposes to scrutinize the impact of Islamic invasion of Spain.
In my opinion, the Islamic invasion had a positive impact on Spain and its people. Islam affected many areas of life in Spain such as family, society, science, economics, religion, education, and culture. Primarily, Spain had obtained the central position in the ancient world among other civilizations. Under the leadership of Umayyad Dynasty, the Muslims created schools for the children of the poor in Cordoba and nearly two thousand mosques for various social groups (Eggers 48). Moreover, the streets of Spain were well light, and houses had adequate cold and hot water. The libraries in Spain were also very rich with books, as they had over 400,000 books. Furthermore, there were no boundaries between Jews, Muslims, and Christians, as all religious groups respected and interacted with each other. Nothing separated the East and the West. Faith, science, and wisdom were all held in high regard. These kinds of prosperity and freedom can only translate to the fact that the Muslims were not oppressors as they tried to develop the social standards of all social classes in Spain. Research also indicates that the Umayyad considerably advanced trade and industry in Spain (Watt 175).
I think it was exciting to live in Granada, Cordoba, Toledo, or Seville during the Medieval Era because there was enough water to support crop irrigation, which facilitated stable agricultural practices that ensured that most people had plenty of food. Agriculture was the main economic activity. Indeed, the Islamic rule was helpful to the growth of the Spanish economy.
Works Cited
Eggers, Dave. History of the conquest of Spain by the Arab-Moors: With a sketch of the civilization, which they achieved, and imparted to Europe. San Francisco: McSweener's Books, 2009. Print.
Watt, Wilson. A history of Islamic Spain. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1997. Print.
