Al-Andalus: Economy, Society, and Culture
Al-Andalus: Economic and Social Organization
Al-Andalus was fully integrated into the economic world of Islam. This meant that the Muslim territory’s economy was very dynamic. The role of towns was significant, both for artisanal and commercial activities and administration. Many had Roman roots, and others were newly established. They were structured around the castle, the main mosque, and the souk.
The main sources of wealth of the economy were:
- Agriculture: Based on the exploitation of large estates, where rainfed cereal, olives, and vines were grown. Irrigation systems (wells, canals, ditches, bypasses, etc.) were improved. In addition, crops such as citrus, rice, cotton, sugarcane, and saffron were disseminated.
- Cattle: Sheep and horse rearing were prominent. Pig farming fell due to the Koranic prohibition of not eating the meat of this animal. Beekeeping also experienced strong development.
- Manufacturing Industry: Achieved great development, particularly in textiles, pottery, weapons, the manufacture of paper and glass, and leatherwork.
- Trade: Notable for the arrival at their home ports of slaves from northern Europe and Africa, Eastern spices, and gold from the Gulf of Guinea.
Society
Society was divided along religious lines:
- Muslims: Arabs, Syrians, Berbers, and Muladi.
- Non-Muslims: Mozarabs and Jews.
The Arabs were a minority and were the dominant sector of society. They occupied the best land and court offices. They were joined by the Syrians, with whom they rivaled for power.
The Berbers, from North Africa and converted to Islam, occupied a lower rank in the social pyramid and the poorest land. Their rivalry with the Arab aristocracy was a frequent cause of tension and conflict.
The Hispanic Muladis were Visigoths converted to Islam.
The Mozarabs were Christians living in Muslim territory. They were allowed to keep property, customs, and religious practices upon payment of tribute.
The Jews enjoyed great tolerance in contrast to the Visigoth period.
Al-Andalus: Cultural Legacy
The Arabic language was the vehicle of expression and thought. The influence of philosophy and Persian, Indian, and Greco-Roman culture can be seen. Their religious beliefs were present in culture, art, politics, science, and health.
During the Caliphate, cultural splendor was known, in line with the political and economic situation. The climate of freedom led by caliphs such as Abd ar-Rahman III, and above all, Al-Hakam II, made Cordoba a cultural center of the first order, with further development of various scientific disciplines and literature, especially poetry, both classical and popular.
Muslim Spain was the transmission route to the West of Greek science and much of the Hindu, which had been recovered and developed by the Arabs. A significant example of the scientific contributions of Al-Andalus was the spread of the Christian world of the current numbering system, much simpler and more operational than the Roman.
With the fall of the caliphate, the principal courts competed in the practice of patronage and encouragement of arts and sciences. During this period, Ibn Hazm wrote El Collar de la Paloma, undoubtedly one of the best treatises on love in literature. In the period following the Almoravids and the Almohads, religious intolerance imposed a serious limitation on thought. However, in the twelfth century, three great figures appeared in Al-Andalus in both medicine and philosophy: Muslims Abentofail and Averroes, and the Jew Maimonides.
Al-Andalus was bilingual. Arabic was the official language, but the language of Muladi, derived from Latin, was also spoken. These two languages also have two types of literature. Educated poetry was written in classical Arabic, always with an Orientalizing tendency, and, in the vernacular, often interspersed with Romance language, is an autonomous popular poetry. In folk poetry, Abenguzmán and Muqaddam ben Muafa stood out. The first is credited with the invention of the muwashshah, a poem with a chorus (jarcha), and the second with maximizing the development of the zejel.