One reason the Moors (Arabs, Berbers and other North African tribes) had such a long period of rule in southern Spain rests on their bringing tremendous benefits to the Iberian people through improvements to agriculture.
The new plant species introduced by the Moors are an impressive list. It's generally agreed they introduced coffee... not the nice stuff from southern Africa (and grown in Brazil.) .. but the thick bitter variety of northern Africa... that plant alone would be enough for me to submit to a foreign ruler. Imagine life where your morning 'cuppa' was some boiled up suet pudding. No! You'd hold out until you could squeeze a cup of fresh Orange juice... but hang on... the Moors introduced that plant as well. Any clear thinking Iberian would be begging the Moors to invade to gain access to these new flavours.
But there's more... after a day of toiling in the field, your typical Iberian peasant really enjoyed a cup of wine. The Iberians had wine since Roman days... and with a cast-iron stomach... you could drink a glass. In rural areas, wine was used mostly for removing bacteria from drinking water. But when the Moors invaded, they brought with them new varieties of grape and better techniques of fermentation... capable of producing wine that tastes like the 'vino' of today. Now the clear thinking Iberian peasant should have been prepared to fund the costs of the invasion.
Let's mention one more addition the Moors made to the larder of the Iberian peasant... this addition coming by way of Sicily. This larder item is no less than spaghetti. Arabs introduced new varieties of wheat and new grinding equipment that first led to lasagne... and then sliced in strips to make spaghetti. These techniques spread through Europe and found a willing market in Iberia.
As the diet changed to adopt the delights from north Africa, Iberians would have given up some of their traditional diet. In our wanderings around the hills of Andalusia, we seemed to be walking through a perpetual herb garden. Parsely, sage, rosemary and thyme is just the start of it. Iberia would have improved the flavour of imported goods... and these improvements would have found their way throughout Europe.
It is not surprising that the Moors did not meet desperate resistance from Iberian tribes. Image the encounters. After an afternoon of fighting, the Moors would suggest a negotiated peace. The Iberian Kings would be invited to the enemy's battle tents... sat down to a cup of Orange juice, followed by a cup of coffee... a plate of steaming pasta followed up with a glass of refreshing sweet wine. The Iberian kings would quickly form the opinion that if they could live like the Moors, they would be prepared to forgo some sovereignty rights.
The biggest gift of all came when the Moors organised irrigation systems across the Iberian fields. The Moors invaded Iberia because their supplies of water in North Africa were proving to be unreliable... the mini-iceage benefited north Africa with more rain... but the subsequent warming returned north Africa to an arid region. The Moors came to Iberia with skills in dry climate cultivation. They implemented those skills with great success in Iberia.
In our walls around Cómpeta's hills we saw many channels dug across the hillsides to collect the run off water into reservoirs. These reservoirs fed irrigation canals further down the hill. The canals we saw were initially dug by the Moors (or under their supervision)... and repaired by subsequent civilisations. (We also saw bridges built by Romans and Moors to link Andalusia with the big centres like Granada... in later years, to support transportation of unprocessed silk.)
Today, we travelled to a mountain village ( Comeras) set up by the Moors to educate the future emirs... firstly in the details of their religion and laws... but also in agriculture and science. The focus on learning in Moorish society contrasts with the civilisation preceding them (Visigoths) and the one that followed (Catholic Kings).
Our guide on yesterday's walk was emphasising that Spain, under Ferdinand and Isabella, missed a golden opportunity to use the immense wealth from the Americas and the intellectual leadership of the Moors to become the world's first industrialised nation. Instead, Spain choose to use its advantages to fight lots of wars and prosecute lots of people.
Oh well... we all make mistakes.
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