The History of Islamic Spain – Year 9 Activity 3

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The History of Islamic Spain – Year 9 Activity 3
Background knowledge
In ancient times Spain was dominated by the Romans until the 5th century, when it was
conquered by a tribe originating in modern-day Germany called the Visigoths. The Visigoths
adopted many aspects of Roman culture, language and religion and ruled Spain for
approximately three hundred years. Also living in Spain since ancient times was a small but
important Jewish minority. Spanish Jews were repressed under the Visigoths and were not
allowed to follow their religion and customs freely. There were various laws which
restricted the kinds of jobs they could do and even where they were allowed to go during
certain Christian holy days and festivals. However, in the year 711, most of Spain was
conquered by Arab armies led by the military general Tarik Ibn Ziyad. The first place where
Tarik’s troops landed in Spain was the territory we now know as Gibraltar. In fact, the name
Gibraltar comes from the Arabic expression Jabal al-Tarik, which means “Tarik’s mountain”.
By the year 720 most of Spain and what is now Portugal had been conquered except for
small but significant parts of northern territories including Galicia, Asturias, Catalonia and
the Basque Country. The Muslims called their own territories “Al-Andalus”, a term which
gave the name to the region in the south of Spain we now know as Andalucia.
Al-Andalus was a multicultural society, where large Christian and Jewish populations lived
side by side and in peace with an increasing number of Muslims. This co-existence of three
religious communities is referred to by historians as convivencia, from the Spanish verb
convivir, meaning “to live together”. There are many stories of descendants of Visigothic
leaders and their families who converted to Islam during this period, some because they
sincerely believed in Islam, some because they felt they would achieve greater power and
status by converting to the religion of the newly-dominant group. Whatever the reason for
their conversion to Islam, the Muslim population of Spain continued to grow with converts
and Islamic rulers allowed Christians and Jews the right to practise their own religions. While
it was true that non-Muslims had to pay higher taxes than Muslims and could not rise to the
very highest levels as politicians and rulers, Jews and Christians were still allowed to follow
their own cultures and customs and were not forced to convert to Islam. In those areas of
Spain where Muslim rule was the strongest, such as in southern Spain, most people could
speak Arabic even if they were Jewish and Christian.
However, the Christian communities in the northern parts of Spain which had not been
conquered by the Arabs (Galicia, Asturias, Catalonia, etc) continuously fought against the
Muslims in order to regain the territories that used to be Christian-dominated. They fought
for over seven hundred years, slowly regaining control of increasing portions of Spain until,
in 1492, they finally defeated the last remaining piece of Muslim territory in the south, the
Muslim kingdom of Granada, in a process known as the Reconquest (la Reconquista).
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Exercise 1. Reading, understanding, translating

Read the following facts about the culture of Al-Andalus and match them to the
corresponding English translations:

1. Cuando los musulmanes conquistaron España introdujeron muchas variedades de
comestibles de otras partes del mundo, como la zanahoria, la berenjena, la naranja, el limón,
el arroz, el higo y las espinacas, y especias como el azafrán. Tambien introdujeron nuevos
estilos de arquitectura, música, y literatura. Matches with D in the list of translations
below.

2. En la ciudad de Córdoba, en el sur de España, los musulmanes construyeron una gran
mezquita famosa por su gran número de arcos. Después de la Reconquista los cristianos
construyeron una catedral en el centro de la mezquita. Es un edificio que hoy en día atrae a
muchos turistas cada año. Matches with A in the list of translations below.

3. Los reyes cristianos que conquistaron Al-Andalus fueron Isabel I de Castilla y Fernando II de
Aragón. La pareja se casó en 1469 y conquistaron Al-Andalus en 1492. En el mismo año
también expulsaron de España a los judíos que no se convirtieron al cristianismo. Diez años
después, en 1502, todos los musulmanes del país o tuvieron que irse o convertirse al
cristianismo. Matches with B in the list of translations below.

4. Por esta razón Isabel y Fernando recibieron el título de Los Reyes Católicos. Permitieron el
establecimiento de la Inquisición en España, una organizacion que castigó los musulmanes y
los judíos que convirtieron al cristianismo pero que siguieron practicando su antigua religion
en secreto. Matches with C in the list of translations below.

English translations:
A. In the city of Cordoba, in the south of Spain, the Muslims built a great mosque famous for its
large number of arches. After the Reconquest the Christians built a cathedral in the centre
of the mosque. It is a building which today attracts many tourists every year.

B. The Christian monarchs who conquered al-Andalus were Isabel I of Castille and Ferdinand II
of Aragon. The couple married in 1469 and conquered Al-Andalus in 1492. In the same year
they also expelled from Spain the Jews who did not convert to Christianity. Ten years later,
in 1502, all the Muslims in the country either had to leave or convert to Christianity.

C. For this reason Isabel and Ferdinand received the title of The Catholic Monarchs. They
allowed the establishment of the Inquisition in Spain, and organisation which punished the
Muslims and Jews who converted to Christianity but who continued to practise their old
religion in secret.

D. When the Muslims conquered Spain they introduced many varieties of foodstuffs from other
parts of the world, such as carrots, aubergines, oranges, lemons, rice, figs and spinach, and
spices such as saffron, which previously did not exist in Europe. They also introduced new
styles of architecture, music, and literature.

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Exercise 2: Vocabulary

Answer the following questions in Spanish using the vocabulary in the texts above:

1a). Escríbe el nombre de tres frutas que los musulmanes introdujeron a España:

Can be any three of the following: las zanahorias, las berenjenas, las naranjas, los limones,
el arroz, los higos, las espincas, el azafrán

1b). ¿Cómo se llaman estas frutas en ingles?

las zanahorias = carrots
las berenjenas – aubergines
las naranjas = oranges
los limones = lemons
el arroz = rice
los higos = figs
las espinacas = spinach
el azafrán = saffron

2. ¿Cuál es la ciudad donde los musulmanes construyeron una gran mezquita famosa por el
gran número de arcos que contiene?

La ciudad donde los musulmanes construyeron una gran mezquita famosa por el gran
número de arcos que contiene es Córdoba (en Andalucía).

3. ¿Qué hicieron los cristianos con la gran mezquita después de la Reconquista?

Después de la Reconquista, los cristianos construyeron una cathedral en el centro de la
mezquita.

4. ¿Cuáles son los nombres de los reyes cristianos que conquistaron Al-Andalus y que
recibieron el título de Los Reyes Católicos?

Los nombres de Los Reyes Católicos son Isabel I de Castilla y Fernando II de Aragón.

5. ¿Cuándo conquistaron Al-Andalus Los Reyes Católicos?

Los Reyes Católicos conquistaron Al-Andalus en el año 1492.

6. ¿Qué tipo de organización fue La Inquisición?

La Inquisición fue una organizacion que castigó los musulmanes y los judíos que
convirtieron al cristianismo pero que siguieron practicando su antigua religion en secreto.

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Vocabulary

antes: before
antigua: old, previous
el arco: arch
la arquitectura: architecture
el arroz: rice
atraer: to attract
el azafrán: saffron
la berenjena: aubergine
cada: each, every
casarse: to marry
castigar: to punish
la catedral: cathedral
la ciudad: city
el comestible: foodstuff, an item of food
construir: to build
conquistar: to conquer
convertirse: to convert (to a religion)
el cristianismo: Christianity
después: after
un cristiano: Christian
un edificio: building
en secreto: in secret
las especias: spices
las espinacas: spinach
el establecimiento: establishment, founding
expulsar: expel
el higo: fig
hoy en día: today (as in “at the present time” or “these days”)
la Inquisición: Inquisition
irse: to leave
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introducir: to introduce (something new)
el judío: Jew
el limón: lemon
la literatura: literature
la mezquita: mosque
mismo/a: same
la música: music
el musulman: Muslim
la naranja: orange
o….o: either…or
la organización: organisation
la pareja: couple, pair
permitir: permit, allow
por esta razón: for this reason
recibir: to receive
la religion: religion
seguir + continuous verb: to continue –ing
tener que: to have to
el título: title
un turista/una turista: tourist
la zanahoria: carrot

Exercise 3: True or false

Read the following statements about Islamic Spain and, based on the information that has
been provided previously, decide whether they are true or false:

1. Los musulmanes conquistaron España en el año 811. FALSE (correct answer: 711)

2. Los musulmanes introdujeron varios tipos de comida a España, como las zanahorias,
las naranjas y el arroz. TRUE

3. Los Reyes Católicos construyeron muchas mezquitas en España. FALSE

4. Los Reyes Católicos se llamaron Isabel y Federico. FALSE (Correct answer: Isabel and
Fernando)

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5. La mezquita más famosa de España está en Córdoba. TRUE
Exercise 4: Finding vocabulary

4a). The following link contains a list of Spanish vocabulary which derives from the Arabic
language (the vocabulary list below contains the same words: food-related words are
highlighted in yellow, arts and crafts in blue, and science, architecture and technology in
green

http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/romance/spanish/219/03alandalus/vocabularioarabe.html
atalaya 'sentinel'
tambor ( < persa) 'drum'
almirante (< griego) 'admirai,' hazaña 'deed'
alcázar (< latín CASTRU) 'castle'
aduana 'customs'
aldea 'village'
azotea 'flat roof'
alcoba 'alcove, room'
alféizar 'sill'
alcantarilla 'sewer'
alcalde 'mayor'
alquiler 'rent'
alcachofa 'artichoke'
zanahoria 'carrot'
berenjena 'eggplant'
alfalfa
azafrán 'saffron'
azúcar 'sugar'
algodón 'cotton'
aceituna 'olive'
naranja (< persa) 'orange'
albóndiga 'meatball'
alcohol
elixir, jarabe 'syrup'
azufre 'sulphur'
tarea 'task'
alfarero 'potter'
taza 'cup'
jarra 'jug'
tarifa 'tariff'
albañil 'worker, builder'
azulejo 'tile'
almohada 'pillow'
alfombra 'rug, carpet'
ajedrez (< sánscrito) 'chess'
jaque mate (< persa) 'check mate'
tahur 'card shark'
nuca 'back of the neck'
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cénit 'zenith'
auge 'peak'
nadir 'lowest possible point'
alquimia (< griego chymeia) 'alchemy'
álgebra
algoritmo 'algorithm'
cifra 'numerical figure'
Rigel name of a star
Vega name of a star
Betelgense name of a star
almacén 'la mina'
Alhambra 'la ciudadela roja'
la Mancha 'altiplanicie'
Alcalá 'castillo'
Medina 'ciudad'
Guadalajara 'río de las piedras'
Guadalquivir 'río grande'
Gibraltar 'monte de Tarik'
Guadalupe 'río' + 'lobo' (< latín LUPU)
mezquino 'mean, petty'
azul (< persa) 'blue'
escarlata (< persa) 'scarlett'
hasta (< hasta)
fulano (<fulan 'uno'-)
mengano (<man kana 'el que sea')
en balde 'in vain'
¡hala!
ojalá (< wa sa Allah, 'may God grant')

Look through the list and find the following:

• 5 words related to food (different to the words mentioned in Exercises 1 and 2)
• 5 words related to arts and crafts
• 5 words related to science and technology

4b). Why do you think these Spanish words derive from Arabic?

These words generally describe foodstuffs, customs or innovations either introduced into
Spain (and Europe) by the Arabs or considerably refined by them during the period of Islamic
domination in Spain. Some words remained embedded in the Spanish language simply
because Arabic was so commonly spoken in Spain for hundreds of years, by Christians and
Jews as well as Muslims. These include very common, everyday expressions such as “ojalá”
(“I hope so”, which derives directly from the Arabic word for God, Allah).

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Exercise 5: Creating a recipe based on foods introduced by the Moors into Spain

Create a recipe using at least two ingredients introduced into Spain by the Moors.
Instructions should be given using verbs in the infinitive.

The list of verbs below are related to cookery and will help to give you ideas about what to
create and how to give recipe instructions. Your dish can be as simple or as adventurous as
you like!

rellenar: to stuff cortar: to cut/chop cortar en rebanadas: to cut into slices

freír: to fry hervir: to boil cocinar: to cook

añadir: to add mezclar: to mix salpimentar: to season with salt and pepper

asar: to bake/roast asar a la plancha: to grill condimentar: to dress (a salad)

To help guide you and give you ideas, here is a recipe for Arabic aubergine and tomato salad

Ensalada árabe de berenjena y tomate (para 4 personas)

Ingredientes:

• Dos berenjenas (two aubergines)

• Dos tomates (two tomatoes)

• Una cebolla (one onion)

• Aceite de oliva (olive oil)

• Vinagre (vinagre)

• Sal y pimienta (salt and pepper)

Preparación:

1. Cortar las berenjenas en rebanadas y asarlas a la plancha.
Cut the aubergines into slices and grill them.

2. Quitar la piel, cortar en cubos y poner en una recipiente.
Remove the skin, cut into cubes and put in a dish.

3. Añadir los dos tomates y la cebolla cortados en cubos pequeños.
Add the two tomatoes and the onion diced/cut into small cubes.
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4. Salpimentar y condimentar con aceite de oliva y vinagre.
Season and dress with olive oil and vinagre.

5. Servir con carne, pescado o simplemente con pan.
Serve with meat, fish or simply with bread.

Exercise 6: Group presentation

In a small group, research the history of Islamic Spain and the Reconquest in more detail and
present your findings to your class. You can use the internet sources listed below, library
books and any other resources available.

Your written presentation should be about a paragraph in length but, if possible, you can also
use PowerPoint or other visual media to add detail and interest to your talk.

Each member of the group should deliver a 5-minute presentation to the class - in Spanish -
on a different aspect of Islamic Spain or the Reconquest.

Remember to try to make eye contact with your audience as you deliver your talk and leave
time for a question and answer session after each group presentation.

Online Resources:

A very useful BBC website which provides an overview of Islamic Spain and the interaction
between Muslims, Jews and Christians:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/history/spain_1.shtml

Key objectives

This activity focuses on the most widely recognised painting by the 20th-century Spanish
artist Pablo Picasso: Guernica. Its key objectives are as follows:

• To introduce students to one of the most important works of Spanish art, providing
them with background knowledge of the painting’s historical context and an
awareness of its significance as an anti-war statement

• To encourage students to think about and discuss the possible meanings of Picasso’s
symbolism

• To extend students’ vocabulary and their ability to describe a painting or scene in
Spanish

• To develop students’ ability to research the topic both independently and in groups
by stimulating their interest in Spanish art
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• To develop students’ ability to work within a group in order to compile and deliver a
presentation on Spanish art

• To give students the confidence to go beyond the activities set out here and explore
the topic in their own time

Helpful hints
As there is a significant amount of vocabulary introduced in this activity relating to food, this
could be used as the basis of further activities on food and cooking Spanish-style.
Exercise 5 asks students to give their recipe instructions using verbs in the infinitive but
these could be given in the third-person singular form of the imperative if this has been/is
being studied in class.

Going further
Various different projects could be drawn from the vocabulary and topics raised in this
activity. Students could, for example, research the current situation in Spain regarding
immigration and the perception of Muslims in Spanish society. They could also research the
Islamic heritage of cities such as Seville, Granada, and Cordoba and practise describing
places as part of such a project.

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