The
Christian Church actually said bathing naked was forbidden. Even after
the Moors were forced out, Isabella the Queen of Spain famously bragged
about only bathing twice in her entire life.
King
Louis XIV of France bragged about the same thing. When the Moors took
over Spain they taught them to bathe, how to preserve spices up to 100
years, and many other things that made their way of life more
“civilized.” They brought many forms of mathematics, astronomy, and
engineering to Europe.
The word “algebra” can
be traced back to the Moors. One might ask is why a Christianized
Eurocentric education might gloss over these historic facts.
We
often hear about Africans teaching Europeans how to bathe and the other
hygienic rituals required in order to build a healthy society. Abu
l-Hasan Ali Ibn Nafi, also known as Ziryab, was born in modern day Iran
circa 789 CE to a freed Ethiopian slave. His nickname, Ziryab, means
blackbird and was given to him in reference to his dark complexion and
stunning singing voice.
He is known as the
innovator of those hygienic practices such as bathing, shaving and the
use of toothpaste, perfumes, fragrant oils and deodorant. Moor was a
term Europeans used to describe indigenous Africans and while many
people may have heard of the term, Ziryab is not a name circulated in
Western history and not many people don’t understand the weight of his
influence. During the 10th century these weren’t African leaders only
contributions to European society.
Ziryab
arrived in Cordoba, the Arabic Empire’s ‘Wild West’, in 822 CE. As a
master musician, his musical talent dramatically increased his
popularity in the region, introducing many of the earliest versions of
several instruments, including the lute, guitar and the Lyre. He was so
sought after for his musical talent that he later founded an influential
music school in Cordoba, Spain translating Eastern ideas into Western
European music. Though he was originally known for his musical skills,
his influences weren’t restricted to the music realm. His contributions
to music culture in Europe led to his becoming a respected leader that
people looked to in many other areas of their lives.
Spanish
occupation by the Moors began in 711 AD when an African army bed by
Tariq ibn-Ziyad from northern Africa invaded the Iberian peninsula. From
then the Moors ruled Spain for 800 years allowing African royals and
other leaders to influence many aspects of Spanish society. Ziryab was a
natural born leader and pioneer. Along with reforming music Ziryab
introduced a new style of eating in Western Europe, set course meal. The
new eating style began with a soup that was followed by a fish course,
then a meat course and finally a desert. This is an eating style that
can still be seen in Western society today. He also recommended the use
of crystal, as opposed to metal, to serve drinks. Ziryab expanded
Europeans diet with the introduction of a variety of new crops including
hard wheat, sugar, orange, lemon, peach, apricot, fig, sugar cane,
dates, ginger, pomegranate saffron and rice. All of these continue to be
prominent in Spain today. Instituting these new crops in the region
required the Moors intimate knowledge of irrigation and cultivation.
They also taught Europeans how to properly store spices for up to 100
years.
In addition to establishing new hygiene
practices, founding a music school and introducing new crops in Spain,
Ziryab was also considered a fashion icon at the time. Clothes became
more than just modest coverings for the body as Ziryab used clothes as a
form of adornment. He was unique in the way he would change his clothes
according to the seasons and weather and even went as far as having
different outfits throughout the day.
During
the time that London had a largely illiterate population, unpaved
streets with none of the technological advancement of the Roman empire
that existed 600 years prior; the Moors advanced greatly in hydraulic
engineering. During the 10th century the Moors had paved roads, street
lighting, running water, hundreds of public baths, mosques and well
stocked libraries. Because paper was needed in order to create documents
to transfer knowledge the Moors also brought paper making to Spain, and
under Moorish conquest the first paper mill is recorded at Xàtiva in
1151. Along with this, over 4,000 Arabic words and derived phrases were
absorbed into the Spanish language. Spanish use of words like algebra,
alcohol, chemistry, nadir, alkaline, cipher checkmate, influenza,
typhoon, orange, and cable can be traced back to the Moors.
As
we can see in the many examples presented, the Moors mastered several
methods of survival that vastly contributed to European society from the
10th century into the 12th century. During this time the Moors
introduced multiple new scientific techniques to Europe in astronomy,
chemistry, physics, mathematics, geography and philosophy. While
conquest came as a result of war, during the Moors’ reign, the people
flourished in Moorish Spain with paved roads, universal education and
efficient hospitals. Leadership requires the effective transfer of
knowledge, and the Moors successfully transferred several methods and
techniques of their high functioning society to Europeans. These
contributions continue to go unnoticed and ignored in Western public
education. It’s essential that we circulate these stories in order to
better understand our history through a proper lens that honors the work
of our ancestors.
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