How Did The Christians Influence Andalusian Culture

The Christians of Al-Andalus were far behind their Muslim rulers in terms of education and high culture, so they subsequently became attracted to Islamic intellectualism and language, and their integration into Andalusian culture caused them to have profound influence on all its inhabitants. The Christians in Al-Andalus consisted mainly of the Visigoths, Hispano-Romans and the native tribes of the Iberian Peninsula. The Christian population was pre-dominantly catholic, and under the Visigoth rule a culture of learning was present, but it was miniscule compared to the knowledge brought by their Muslim counterparts, and was later abandoned in favor for the more advanced Muslims invaders. “ The glorious city Cordoba, and the polity of Al Andalus
Another factor was that infrastructure of libraries, mosques, and research institutions began to grow and attracted famous scholars from all over the world. The knowledge that has been brought to Iberia by the Muslim invaders was also responsible for the higher literacy rates of the previously low rates of the Christian population. It should be noted that the Christians living in the north disliked the Muslim invaders; the Christians saw the Muslim infidels as their mortal enemy and spent several hundred years trying to drive them out of Spain. It was in Cordoba where the Christians, Jews, and Muslims truly practiced religious tolerance and cultural exchange. “ It was there that Christians embraced nearly every aspect of Arabic style from the intellectual style of philosophy to the architectural style of mosques, not only while living in Islamic dominions but especially after wresting political control from them”(The ornament of the world). Christian poets began using Arabic as a means of expressing their poetry, and saw the language as more expressive and stronger than Latin. “They despise the Christian literature as unworthy of
Jews were severely persecuted by the Visigoth so they welcomed the Muslims and saw them as liberators; this era was considered to be the “golden age” of Jewish history. “Visigoth legislation forbade Jews from marrying Christians or owning Christian slaves, proscribed circumcision, outlawed observance of Jewish holy days, and ultimately offered Jews the stark choice of conversion, exile or slavery”( Menocal 234). Jews were categorized as dhimmis under Islamic rule and were given the same social standards as Christians in Al-Andalus, because of this Jews were able to prosper as a religious minority and were somewhat influenced by the cultural and social exchanges of the other two religions. For example, Jews had their own legal system known as Beit Din where they were allowed to settle their own personal disputes. “The Jewish community spawned talented merchants and administrators, adept go-betweens who assimilated the cultural and language skills needed to thrive in the dominant Muslim or Christian society”( Menocal 254). Not many converted to Islam like their Christian counterparts, but Jews living in cities and towns, like Cordoba became integrated into Islamic culture and society. The influence from Islamic culture to the