Moor - who is it? A representative of a cruel and willful people or someone who has made an invaluable contribution to the development of cultures of different countries? Where is the truth, and what is fiction?
The birth of an empire
Moors called the inhabitants of Mauritania, located in northern Africa. Their history is inextricably linked with the development of Islam.
In the XII century in the Arabian desert , the city of Medina was founded by the prophet Muhammad. After that, the people, who had previously adhered to a nomadic way of life, found a permanent place to live. Then they began their development, conquering new lands, preaching Islam to the east and west.
Hunger for knowledge
Moor - who is it? For whom is conquest important? Contrary to the generally accepted attitude towards the Moors as uneducated people, it must be said that this is a big mistake. For a Muslim, knowledge was important. Because of the heat of the day, nomadic peoples moved at night. The result of which was the emergence of such a science as astronomy. When meeting with representatives of other cultures, the Moors tried to obtain as much new knowledge as possible. They attached particular importance to books. Their value was very great and a large number of them were published.
Due to the fact that the crusaders created unflattering glory for Muslims, many do not know exactly the Moor - who is it? Believing that it is synonymous with the word "barbarian".
In fact, Arab culture was open to new knowledge. After the capture of Egypt, the Moors gained access to the Alexandria Library, which allowed them to seriously expand their horizons. Many works have been translated into Arabic. It should be noted that Arabs and Berbers who profess Islam were also called Moors.
European civilization tried to protect itself as much as possible from new knowledge, which significantly impeded its development.
Moors in Europe
Having overcome Gibraltar in 711, the Moors came to the Iberian Peninsula. Over 4 years, capturing a large territory up to France. Given the fact that Europe of those times was in a deep crisis, many cities were only too happy to receive a fairly strong patron who could protect them from warriors and raids by tribes. Despite the fact that Islam was unknown to the population of the Iberian Peninsula, they quite easily began to accept a new religion. Many cities were rebuilt almost anew, Cordoba became the main one. Moor - who is it and what is its contribution to the development of Spain? New technologies were introduced: an irrigation system was used to irrigate the gardens, water supply and sewage systems existed in the houses.
Of particular importance was the paper, which in Europe was recognized thanks to the Arabs. Not surprisingly, there were 10 libraries in Cordoba. In Toledo, the foundations of modern algebra and chemistry were born, only here it was possible to study works on mathematics and astronomy.
The Crusades, which aimed to save the countries of Europe from the invaders - the Moors, ruthlessly destroyed them, buildings and all technical structures. People were forced, under pain of death and property seizure, to convert to Catholicism. Thus, a new but ambitious culture supplanted a more developed one, which gave Europe a lot over the 12th century.
Quite often you can hear the phrase: "The Moor has done his job, the Moor can leave." This is a quote from the play Fiesco's Conspiracy in Genoa, written by I. F. Schiller at the end of the 18th century. The phrase is a symbol of the unprincipled use of man for his own purposes. The attitude towards him was like an instrument to achieve a goal that was no longer needed after the action was taken.