Muslims arrived in Spain during the conquests of the Umayyad Caliphate.

Muslims referred to the Islamic land of Spain as “Al-Andalus” at its peak. 

After conquering the Iberian Peninsula, the Muslims they began to advance into France.

Throughout the 700 years the Islamic Empire held the Iberian Peninsula, the Christian kingdoms to the north attempted to take back control.

In 750, the Umayyad Caliphate was taken over by the Abbasid Caliphate in the Middle East.

The Umayyads had conquered much of northern Africa and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from Morocco to Spain in 711 AD.

By 714, the Islamic army had taken control of most of the Iberian Peninsula

Unlike most of Europe, they had wide paved streets, hospitals, running water, and public bath houses.

The term “Moors” is often used to refer to the Muslims from North Africa who conquered the Iberiann Peninsula 

Non-Muslims, such as Jews and Christians, lived in Al-Andalus but were required to pay a special tax called jizya

Poor people lived in tents or mud huts, while wealthy families had large homes with courtyards and fountains.

Jobs included farmers, merchants, craftsmen, teachers, herders, and soldiers due to a strong trade economy.       

Common foods were dates, honey, milk, eggplant, lentils, and water; meat was rare and mostly eaten by the rich.

Pork and alcohol were forbidden (haram), while allowed foods were called halal.

Both men and women wore loose, long clothing to protect from the sun; women often wore headscarves and veils.

Boys attended school to memorize the Quran and studied subjects like math, philosophy, astrology, and Greek.

Nomads lived in movable tents and helped spread Islam by traveling across the desert.

Water was the most common drink and sometimes flavored with mint, fruits, or roses.

Homes had minimal furniture; rugs were used for floor coverings, blankets, cushions, and pillows.

Men could have up to four wives if they could support them; women typically married young and had only one husband.

Muhammad is considered to be the Holy Prophet of Islam

The Quran is the sacred holy book of Islam.       

There are Five Pillars of Islam, Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Fasting, and Hajj.

The hadith are additional texts that describe the actions and sayings of Muhammad that are not recorded in the Quran.

The Mosques are the places of worship for the followers of Islam. There is generally a large prayer room where Muslims go to pray.

Prayers are often led by the leader of the mosque called the “imam.”        

Like many other religions there are defects sects of Muslims

These groups share many of the same fundamental beliefs, but can disagree on certain aspects of theology.

The two largest groups of Muslims are the Sunnai and Shia.

85% of the world’s Muslims are Sunni.      

Ibn Battuta spent 29 years traveling the world during the Middle Ages

He covered 75,000 miles of ground which included the Islamic Empire and beyond, he was considered one of the greatest travelers in world history.

Near the end of his life in 1354, he returned to Morocco.

He was born February 25, 1304 in Tangier Morocco.

At the age of 21, Ibn Battuta decided it was time for him to make a pilgrimage to the Islamic holy city of Mecca. 

The trip to Mecca was thousands of miles long, he traveled across north Africa usually joining a caravan for company and the safety of numbers.

He wrote his adventures in a book and named it Rihla.

He remained in Morocco and worked as a judge until his death around the year 1369.

Ibn Battula's travels covered 44 modern-day countries.

He often served as a judge of Islamic law at different places he traveled too.