Al-Andalus was fully inserted into the economic world of Islam. This meant that the economy of Muslim Spain, unlike what was happening in the northern Christian territories, was highly dynamic. In this economy, the most significant feature stood out, the transcendental role played by cities, centers of both craft and commercial activities . After all, as the French historian Máxime Rodinson pointed out, "both the Koran and tradition favorably consider economic activity, the search for profit, trade and therefore production for the market."
Agriculture
In any case, agriculture was also of vital importance. The climatic conditions of al-Andalus contributed to this, which explains, as the chronicler al-Razi pointed out, why fruits were collected throughout the year. In any case, the most fertile areas were located in the river valleys, particularly in the Guadalquivir . On the other hand, we must not forget that the majority of the population of al-Andalus (perhaps 75 percent) was dedicated to agricultural tasks. Certainly, the main crops in Muslim Spain were cereals (in particular, wheat and barley, but also rye, millet or oats), the vine (despite the Koranic prohibition of wine consumption) and the olive tree, that is, the traditional ones from previous times . It is no less true that, in the field of cultivation methods and instruments, the Roman heritage continued, visible in the yoke of oxen and the biennial rotation. But the Arabs introduced important innovations, notably promoting irrigation, especially based on the waterwheel. At the same time, arboriculture experienced a great expansion, which explains the use of the expression “green revolution” that has been attributed to al-Andalus. But perhaps one of the most significant innovations was the development of crops such as rice, citrus fruits, sugar cane, palm trees, cotton, eggplant or saffron . It is also necessary to point out the boom reached by aromatic and medicinal plants, as well as the proliferation of orchards and orchards. Sericulture also acquired great importance in al-Andalus.
Livestock
From the point of view of livestock, the most abundant animals in al-Andalus were sheep and goats, without forgetting horses, essential for war, and mules, used to carry products. Instead the pig backed down, due to religious reasons. Activities related to livestock were hunting and fishing.
Mining
Mining was also an activity of great drive, highlighting, as main extracted products, iron, lead, cinnabar, copper and tin. The Arabs were also interested in gold, which was obtained by washing various river courses, such as the Segre, the Tagus, the Genil or the Darro, and precious stones. Other natural resources in which the inhabitants of al-Andalus showed a keen interest were wood, coming primarily from holm oaks, chestnut trees and pines, salt, marble or construction stone.
The city as the center of economic life
But the center of economic life in al-Andalus were the cities. Many of them had Roman roots, although there were some newly created ones, including Almería, Madrid or Calatayud. Undoubtedly, the most prosperous city of al-An-dalus from the 8th to the 10th century was Córdoba . The German nun Hroswitha called it "an ornament of the world". For now, Córdoba was the most populous city in the entire West, both Muslim and Christian. It is estimated that, in the 10th century, it had a population close to 100,000 inhabitants. Córdoba was, above all, the center of Muslim power in Hispania, since its emirs lived there, first, and its caliphs, later, as well as its main collaborators in government tasks . Córdoba had a large number of suburbs, but the vital center of the city was, of course, the medina. In it were, as basic elements of the city, the alcázar, the main mosque and the souk. But apart from the artisanal and mercantile activities that were located in Córdoba, there were also literary gatherings and recreational activities, such as horse races and animal fights. On the other hand, some specialized markets stood out, such as the slave market and the book market. But Córdoba was also an open city, in which people of three religions lived together, since next to the Muslim mosques there were Christian churches and Jewish synagogues. In the surroundings of the Cordovan city there were numerous almunias, that is to say, agricultural exploitations with their country houses.
Craft
The first line of craft production in al-Andalus was textiles. In the first row was the Cordovan tiraz, a name that was applied to textile manufactures controlled by the public power. The main products include silk fabrics, of which the best known were Cordovan brocades, or linen fabrics, which were manufactured in Zaragoza . But activities such as fur and leather work, glass production, paper manufacturing (basically located in Játiva), ceramic objects, weapons (they were made mainly in Córdoba, Málaga and Toledo) were no less important. or the work of gold, silver, ivory and precious stones.
The Trade
Trade was a well-regarded activity in the Islamic world. The development of mercantile activity in al-Andalus relied on the existence of two types of currency:one of gold, the dinar , and another silver one, the dirhem . In the cities, trade was carried out in the souk, made up of a labyrinth of narrow streets, each of which used to have shops selling a certain product. Within the souk were the alcaicerías, protected areas where the highest quality objects were sold. There were also alhóndigas, which served for the storage of merchandise, as well as for the accommodation of merchants. The activity of the souk was inspected by the almotacén, who was in charge of strict compliance with the law . But al-Andalus also maintained a flourishing foreign trade, above all with the other Islamic countries, but also with Christian Europe. Al-Andalus imported Sudanese gold and black slaves from Africa, and spices and luxury goods from the Near East. As far as trade with the Christian world is concerned, al-Andalus exported agricultural products, certain minerals and fabrics, receiving, in exchange, furs and metals, and even weapons.
Population
The population of al-Andalus was very heterogeneous. The majority were Muslims, whether they were the invading Arabs and Berbers or the Muladis , that is, the inhabitants of Visigothic Spain who accepted the Islamist religion. The Muslims gave as alms a tithe of their personal property, the zacat . The Arabs , although minority, were, without a doubt, the dominant sector of al-Andalus, both from the political and economic point of view. The Berbers , who were arabized in the linguistic and cultural field and who were considerably more numerous, generally occupied inferior positions. The invaders introduced their social structures in Spain, of which it is necessary to highlight such significant features as the strong tribal cohesion and the practice of endogamy. As regards the Hispano-Visigoths who converted to Islam, their number grew over time, reaching about 75 percent of the entire population by the year 1000. Also part of the Muslim group were blacks from the Sudan, as well as slaves from Eastern Europe, the so-called saqaliba , which achieved great prestige in the times of Abderramán III.
Apart from the Islamists, there were in al-Andalus dimníes , that is, tributaries, a term that was used both to refer to the Mozarabs, that is, the Christians, and to the Jews. Their tax situation was much harsher than for Muslims, as they were required to pay a personal tax, the jizya , and another territorial one, the jarach . We must not forget, moreover, the importance that slavery had in al-Andalus. Their origin was very diverse:from prisoners from Christian armies or from pirate actions carried out in the Mediterranean to blacks from Africa or Slavs from Eastern Europe.
Social Hierarchy in al-Andalus
From a strictly social perspective, there was in al-Andalus a sharp contrast between the jassa , a term that alluded to the aristocracy, in which belonging to brilliant lineages coincided, the possession of large extensions of land and their involvement in high-ranking political tasks, and the amma , that is, the popular sectors, both rural and urban. The jassa it was basically made up of the dominant Arab lineages. The famous "outrage riot", which took place in Córdoba at the beginning of the 9th century, was carried out by people belonging to the amma.
