There Was a Time When... The Moors Ruled Spain
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Hello my name is Ibrahim. I will be your guide as we explore what happened in Spain during the Middle Ages. I am a descendant of people who came from North Africa. My ancestors came from a region that is arid, rugged and is now part of several North Africa countries. The people who still live there are from a common ethnic group that wandered in a rather inhospitable land.
The story that I am going to tell you unfolded many centuries ago. It is the story of the Moors. The word Moors derives from the Latin Mauri. This was the name given to the tribes living in the land that the Romans called Mauretania. It is now modern day Algeria and Morocco. The name Moors also refers to all the followers of Islam who conquered the Iberian Peninsula. Different names were given to the region known as the Iberian Peninsula. Do not be confused by them. It is the same land area with different names depending on who controlled it.
The Moors controlled a good part of the land of the Iberian Peninsula for more than 700 years. They were not just soldiers. They were an enlightened people who came to Europe not only with a new religion, but also with a new culture.
They arrived on the Iberian Peninsula after the Western Roman Empire had collapsed. Europe had plunged into the Dark Ages. The Dark Ages is a colorful way to describe the descent into barbarism that Europe experienced from the 5th century AD well into the 10th century AD.
Save for a few monasteries and a few enlightened royal courts, the culture of the Romans and the Greeks had disappeared. Cities and towns knew only their nearest neighbors. Beyond that, Europe was unknown land.
The legacy of the Moors lent much to the foundation of Western Civilization as we know it. When the Moors were finally vanquished, Europe stood at the threshold of the Renaissance. So, come along with me and get to know these people, their contribution to the local culture and how they influenced so strongly what we know as Western Civilization.
You will learn much as we explore together. You will find out where our numbering system comes from, where modern mathematics was born, where new medical ideas and procedures came from, how agriculture was improved and, as they say, much more.
Let's get started!
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
THERE WAS A TIME WHEN...
THE MOORS RULED SPAIN
We tend to think of Spain as a nation that sent Columbus west to find new lands. We tend to think of Spain as a Catholic country that came into being with Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand. But Spain also had a fascinating past that is not very well known.
During the Middle Ages Spain was ruled by the Moors. Who were the Moors? Where did they come from? What did they do? The answers are in this book.
Their great cities in Southern Spain became political centers and centers of learning. The Moors introduced new agricultural products and techniques, new philosophical ideas and new mathematics.
You are about to discover their fascinating history, and their amazing discoveries, inventions and achievements in this second book of the series:
“THERE WAS A TIME WHEN...”
About the Author
Dario Bollacasa was born and raised in Northern Italy near Venice. He is currently a Docent at the Boise Museum of Art, Boise, Idaho, where he leads tours for school children. He is also a lecturer at Boise Learns and on cruise ships.
Mr. Bollacasa holds degrees from Pratt Institute, and has done graduate work at New York University and the University of Milan.
He has traveled extensively throughout Europe, North and Central America, South Korea and Japan to nourish his interest in different cultures and historical backgrounds.
These interests have inspired him to share some of his knowledge with young readers. To that end he has begun writing a series of books for junior readers that combine history, culture and art of past civilizations. The first book: “There Was a Time When… Rome Was Ruled by Kings” was published in 2009. His second book examines the legacy of the Moors on medieval Spain and the rest of Europe. It is titled: “There Was a Time When...The Moors Ruled Spain”.
He lives in Idaho with his wife Susan M. Scott.