Moor was the name given by Christians to dark-skinned people of Muslim religion who inhabited the Iberian Peninsula from the 8th to the 15th century.
The term comes from the Romans who named Mauritania to one of their provinces in Africa. With the invasion of Muslim Arabs on this continent, the inhabitants of this region also adopted Islam as their religion.
In this way, "Moor", in the eyes of Christians, became synonymous with a Muslim and dark-skinned person. The Moors, however, are not a people, nor an ethnicity, but a generalization that European Christians made of both African and Arab Muslims.
Meaning of Moor
The word “Moor” comes from the Latin - mauro - and means “dark”.
Moors in Spain and Portugal
The Moors arrived in the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) around the 19th century. VIII and there they remained for several centuries leaving their mark on culture and language.
Words that are part of Portuguese such as “guitarra”, “azulejo”, “lettuce”, “fountain” belong to the Arabic language and were brought by the Moors.
Also fado, a style of Portuguese music, and flamenco singing, have their origin in the way of singing of this people.
Moors in Spain
In total, the Moors stayed in Spain for 8 centuries, as in certain parts of the country they stayed 300 years, in others, 500 years.
The last Muslim kingdom to be conquered was Granada, in 1492, by the Catholic kings Isabel de Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon.
A century of more intense persecution followed, with the Moors being forced to convert to Christianity or leave the country. In 1609, the Muslims who still remained in Spain were definitively expelled. In turn, their descendants became known as “Mouriscos”.
Moors in Portugal
In addition to the language, we can find the Moorish influence in Portugal in architecture and decoration. The best examples are horseshoe arches, tiles and colorful ornaments.
In Lisbon, the neighborhood inhabited by the Moors was called "Mouraria" and the name remains to this day.
Likewise, we find traces of the Moorish influence in Portuguese cuisine in dishes such as almond cakes and lamb stews, among others.
Moor, Arab or Muslim?
Moor is often used synonymously with Arabic.
However, Moor, as we have seen, refers to the Berber peoples and Muslims who lived in the Iberian Peninsula and who were not Arabs.
After all, Arabs are those who are born in countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Lebanon, etc. Being Arab, therefore, has more to do with cultural identity and language than religion.
Finally, Muslim is one who practices Islam. The largest Muslim country in the world, Indonesia, is not an Arab country.
Moors in Europe
The Moors arrived in Europe via the Iberian Peninsula.
In the high Middle Ages, Visigothic kings lived at war with each other. One of the monarchs asks for help from Musa ibn Nusair, leader of a Yemite tribe, who inhabited North Africa.
Thus, the Yemites responded to the monarch's request and conquered what is now a large part of Spain and Portugal.
Once in the Iberian Peninsula, the Christians who lived in these lands started to call those dark-skinned people who practiced Islam, in reference to Mauritania. In the regions where they settled, Christians began to convert to Islam. These new Muslims were also called Moors, although they were no longer African or Arab in origin, nor did they have dark skin.
Likewise, the Muslims who lived on the Peninsula began to use the word "Moor" to refer to themselves. Therefore, in both Portugal and Spain, Moor is practically a synonym for "Muslim".
We have more texts on the subject for you :
- Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula
- Islam
- Arab Culture
- Iberian Peninsula