By Tawfique Chowdhury.
Early in the eighth century, armies from North Africa began probing the Visigothic defenses of Spain and ultimately they initiated the Moorish epoch that would last for centuries. The people who became known to West Europeans as Moors were the Arabs, who had swept across North Africa from their Middle Eastern homeland, and the Berbers, inhabitants of Morocco who had been conquered by the Arabs and converted to Islam. Muslims took control of Spain under the great leader Tariq Bin Ziyaad whose rule helped advance many fields including science and medicine. Roads were built with working sewer systems and the most beautiful of gardens were built. This lecture goes through the rise of Andalus, followed by the downfall of Andlaus which was a result of many different personalities.
