Before the year 711 CE the Iberian Peninsula which is modern day Spain and Portugal was under the rule of the Visigoths and during this period the region was plagued by severe political instability and constant civil wars and economic stagnation with a rigid social hierarchy that left the majority of the population in poverty where cities were decaying and infrastructure was neglected and the intellectual climate was virtually non existent until everything changed dramatically with the arrival of the Muslims led by Tariq ibn Ziyad who established a new civilization known as Al Andalus and instead of merely ruling the land they completely revitalized it and turned it into the undisputed cultural and intellectual and economic powerhouse of medieval Europe while the rest of Europe was entering the Dark Ages and this development spanned across every aspect of life as they revolutionized farming by introducing advanced irrigation channels and water wheels turning dry lands into fertile fields and introducing new crops like oranges and rice and sugar cane and under their rule education became accessible to the public and literacy rates skyrocketed making Cordoba the city of light with dozens of libraries where scholars flocked from all over the world to study medicine and astronomy and mathematics and philosophy and while European streets were dark and muddy Cordoba had paved roads illuminated by streetlamps and thousands of public baths emphasizing hygiene and they built architectural masterpieces that still stand today such as the Great Mosque of Cordoba and the Alhambra Palace in Granada leaving behind a legacy of enlightenment that ultimately paved the way for the European Renaissance #تاريخ #islam #fyp #spain #الاندلس - @daalqm