Moors in North Africa, Spain and Africa
Berber - Arab People make Moorish History
My favorite book, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary, defines Moor as follows:Moor: 1)A Muslim of mixed Berber and Arab people inhabiting Northwest Africa, or 2) a member of this group who invaded and occupied Spain from the 8th century until 1492.
The origin of the word is traced back to Middle English usage in 1350-1400, coming from Latin (Maurus) and Greek (Mauros) origins. The modern country Mauritania derives it's name from Moorish history. Accodring to the CIA World Factbook, modern Mauritania is still a one-party Islamic nation where the Maur (Arab-Berber) majority population dominates the minority black African population, leading to ethnic tensions.
This story is centuries old, going back to the time when Muslims began to dominate the African cultures in the northern areas. The peoples of the Songhay Empire were affected by Muslim influence as early at the 12th century.
The pre-European trade routes in Africa were between the Mali/Ghana empires and the Arab Berbers from northwest Africa. Today Moors come from Mauritania as well as Algeria, Morocco.
Moorish influence spread far and wide through history. For centuries the Moors controlled Spain, and their architectural influence can be seen in the skyline of Luxembourg City. Moorish culture has declined since the 16th century, and most Moorish cultural and scientific acheivements were accomplished centuries ago. At one time, as part of the Arab world, the Moors participated in education, science and art at a world-class level. Now the cultural vitality is focused more in central and south Africa.
While central and south Africa have to some great measure retained diversity, the imposition of religious and cultural intolerance in Moorish countries caused a brain drain and squelched creativity, leading to cultural declined from once-held pinnacles.
Painting of Arab traders crossing the desert
The Moorish Warrior
The Moorish Warrior
