The title of this post as indicated above is also the title of a great documentary movie which should turn the heads around of most people who think they know European history.
To begin with black people ruled one of the greatest societies Europe has known. I said BLACK PEOPLE RULED ONE OF THE GREATEST SOCIETIES EUROPE HAS KNOWN.
Just as startling to most would be the fact that when Spain’s King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella on behalf of the Catholic religion burned all the books of the Arabic people they were burning all the books about themselves as well as the books about everybody else in the world. In both cases they burned books of science, philosophy, history. They burned everything. They sent Columbus to the new world to destroy anything anybody in the new world had written or created. Then they brought back the new world’s gold to smear on all the statues and what not in all the Catholic churches in the world.
Being at times quite interested in profit motive and such, I used to sit in the “Cathedral” in Segovia and think. One of the things I thought about was how I could possibly remove all the gold from that church and take it back to south america and help rebuild some of what the Spanish world had done to “latin” america, not to mention Utah. Wow! Could I come through with a torch and melt the gold off the statues? How many people would I have to bribe to turn their heads while I heisted, hefted and hauled ass?
If you have read my novel, NINE ELEVENS, or any the posts and promotional materials about it on this site, then you know that I talk much about al Andalus, the Andalusia that existed before the vicious Vassals of dark ages posing as Christian saviors of Europe invaded northern Spain with the intention of destroying southern Spain in the name of Christ and the Holy Roman Church – but mainly the church.
The truth about the books is that the more than seventy libraries in Andalusia established by the Islamic rulers is this. The Chinese print mills coming into existence were used to make those books. The first mill went to Baghdad. The second went to Cordoba the capitol of Andalusia.
WHAT WAS IN THOSE BOOKS?
Well, the people of al Andalus, Andalusia, more or less collected copies of all the books ever created in Europe. Then they translated them to Arabic. So, the knowledge of everything was essentially in Arabic libraries. They were created by the Islamic invaders, the Jews, and the original Christians of southern Spain.
But where did the black part of the Islamic people come from? The etymology of the word ‘moor’ means black.
So al Andalus had the vigor and courage of the black moors of north Africa, the math and science of the Arabic world, the embedded Christians, and the Jewish people who remind me of Minnesota because in Minnesota I saw that attitude of “you betcha, we can work with that.” And many of those jews in al Andalus were fantastic translators especially Sahrah, the mother of the novel’s voyager hero Phoenix. The Phoenician Jews, if you will, were the family that controlled the largest commercial shipping enterprise the world had known.
The more I learn about Spain the more I realize that most countries are several countries. In Germany are essentially the north and south and very different and glad of it. Spain is Galicia, Asturia, Pais Basco, Catalan, Murcia, Andalusia, Castillia and let us not forget the tiny little northern country of Andorra.
Perhaps this post will help make it clear how important it is that Alhambra stay important and still stands where once stood one of the greatest civilizations that ever existed.
Annnnnnd, well, how can I put this? Maybe …
Go stuff yourself, Columbus!
