The Conquest of Spain by the Moorish Empire - Essay Example

Emigrations facilitate interactions in which the in-coming community brings its culture into the land and may result into assimilation or integration of cultures by interacting communities. Factors such as wars and civilization are also common and marked movement of the Moors in Spain in the year 711. This paper discusses the statement that ‘the conquest of Spain by the Moorish Empire (711-1492) represents not only a golden age in Islamic civilization, but also a golden age of civilization for Africa, Europe, and modern civilization.

’ The statement is valid because the conquest of Spain by the Moors had more effects than Islamic civilization in the region and in Africa. Moors’ conquest of Spain allowed the community access to the region that had different religious and cultural practices and a transformation of culture in Spain, through assimilation of Moor’s practices and through negative response to some of the immigrants’ values, especially after recapture of Spanish territory from the Moors. The conquest of Spain, owing to the advanced level of Islamic civilization, changed the social environment in Spain.

Core to the civilization was health care services and facilities that benefited Spain. Induced civilization in Spain, resulting from the conquest was development in science as well as in technology, knowledge that transformed people’s lives in Spain and extended to the rest of Europe. Establishment of learning institutions and centers such as the city of Cordoba in Spain is an example of significance of civilization that the conquest had for Europe. Development of learning institutions and significance of learning in the entire globe further identifies global civilization that could be attributed to the Moors’ empire, its associated Islamic culture, and the conquest of Spain (McCannon 133).

Moore further explains the effects of the conquest on cultural and religious practices of Europeans. Even though the Islamic religion was widely denounced in the region, it remained significant and British scholars dedicated significant time studying it. Response to other aspects of Moorish culture among Europeans also suggests possible assimilation of the Islamic religion despite the negative attitude that Europeans had. This is because even though the European fought the Moorish empire to its decline, the kingdom’s inversion established a renaissance in the region.

A change in Europeans’ social practices was evident and a revolution towards significant application of technology was evident. Such assimilations supports the view that Islamic practices could have as well been assimilated by, at least some, Europeans (Moore 207). Interactions between the Moor emperor and other African territories such as Ghana, Mali and Sudan further implies spread of the empire’s civilization to other parts of Africa. This is because like in Spain, through interaction in war, interaction in trade would facilitate identification and borrowing of aspects of Moor’s civilization into the other communities in Africa (Perkins 15).

Even though Europe later emerged as the source of civilization to Africa and the rest of the world and the modern civilization, this can be traced to the successful civilization that the conquest of Spain achieved. The conquest of Spain by the Moorish empire therefore represents a basis for the categories of civilization. Works cited McCannon, John. Barron’s AP world history. New York, NY: Barrons Educational Series, 2010. Moore, Keith. Freemasonry, Greek philosophy, the prince hall fraternity, and the Egyptian (African) World connection.

Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2008. Perkins, Darren. Business is war- The unfinished business of black America. Darren Perkins, 2010. Print.