The Moors were Black and North African people, primarily Berbers and Arabs, who came from regions that are now Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and parts of West Africa. Many Moors were mixed African groups, including Black Africans from the Sahel and Sahara regions.

The word “Moor” was used by Europeans to describe dark-skinned African Muslims, especially those who entered Spain and Portugal beginning in 711 AD.

🕌 THE MOORS IN SPAIN (AL-ANDALUS)

In 711 AD, a Moorish general named Tariq ibn Ziyad, who was North African and widely believed to be of Black African appearance, crossed into Spain and defeated the Visigothic rulers.

Spain under the Moors became known asAl-Andalus.

For nearly 800 years, the Moors ruled parts of Spain and Portugal, influencing:

✔ Architecture

• Palaces like the Alhambra

• Mosques later turned into cathedrals

• Geometric art, fountains, courtyards

✔ Science & Medicine

They introduced advanced surgery, hospitals, medical schools, hygiene practices, and preserved Greek scientific knowledge that Europe had lost.

✔ Mathematics

• Algebra

• Numerals

• Astronomy

• Navigation techniques used later during the Age of Exploration

✔ Language

Spanish still contains 4,000+ words derived from Arabic due to the Moors

(e.g.,alcázar,almohada,azúcar,ojalá).

✔ Education

While much of Europe was experiencing the Dark Ages, the Moors created a society with streetlights, libraries, universities, and clean running water.

They brought:

• Books

• Literacy

• Philosophy

• Agriculture

• A sophisticated legal and financial system

European scholars traveled to Moorish Spain to study and bring knowledge back home.

✊🏾 WERE THE MOORS BLACK?

Yes — although the term included different ethnicities, many Moors were unmistakably Black Africans.

Historical documents by Europeans described Moors as:

• “Black as pitch”

• “Coal-black”

• “Dark-skinned Africans”

The Christian Portuguese and Spanish even used the term “Moro negro” (Black Moor) to distinguish them.

Also, artwork from the Middle Ages depicts Moors with African features and dark skin.

🌍 THEY BROUGHT AFRICAN CULTURE INTO EUROPE

The Moors introduced:

• Bathing and cleanliness standards

• Music and instruments that influenced Spanish flamenco

• Irrigation and farming techniques

• Silk, cotton, rice, citrus

They refined European tastes, culture, and intellectual life.

🛡️ THE FALL OF THE MOORS

In 1492 — the same year Columbus sailed — the last Moorish kingdom of Granada fell to the Catholic monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella.

After the fall, many Moors were:

• Expelled

• Forced to convert

• Enslaved

• Targeted by the Inquisition

Their contributions were intentionally erased from European history to promote white Christian dominance.

🌟 WHY THE MOORS MATTER IN AFRICAN HISTORY

Because the Moors prove:

• Black and African people once ruled parts of Europe

• Africa was not “primitive” — it was advanced and highly educated

• African civilizations shaped global math, science, agriculture, architecture, and philosophy

• Much of Europe’s Renaissance was built on African and Islamic knowledge from the Moors

The Moors are a reminder that:

Africa’s legacy is not slavery—Africa’s legacy is empire, intellect, architecture, science, and world influence.