Omar of the Orient: The Secret Muslim History of Spanish Culture

Sep 1, 2023 | Islam was a social and political force in Spain for over 800 years; 3 times the entire history of the United States; and yet, the impact the Muslims had on Spain and modern Spanish culture is rarely ever acknowledged.

In this episode, Omar tells us the story of how Islam entered Spain, how the Muslims of that time still have influence on modern Spanish Culture and some possible reasons why Spain's Muslim past is rarely discussed today.

The Rise and Fall of Islamic Spain | A PBS Documentary

Documentary: When the Moors Ruled in Europe

Al Andalus – Spain – الأندلس

Ryan M. Reeves (PhD Cambridge) is Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

Stepping Stones of Islamic Spain
Michael Portillo digs into Spain's relationship with Islam, uncovering a continuing tension between Muslims and Christians, as well as controversial readings of the country's past.
Listen to the BBC radio programme here | BBC | Sunday, July 29, 2012

Cities of Light
Cities of Light tells the relationship between Muslims, Christians and Jews in Spain

Watch the full episode. See more Cities of Light.

The Erotic Legacy of the Moors
THE OLIVE PRESS: A chance encounter in the Alhambra leads Jason Webster to believe Christian Spain’s obsession with sex and sensuality stretches back to when the country was ruled by the Moors

THEY used to say Spain was the only country where power was more important than sex. But that was in the dark days of Franco, when Catholicism and fascism combined to ensure that even those who escaped the firing squads were not allowed to have any fun.



The Caudillo himself was said to be a passionless creature – at least according to a confidential remark by his wife that quickly spread across the whole of Spain – but follar (f*cking) particularly within the confines of family life, was officially at least, a strictly joyless affair.


All this, as everyone knows, has now changed. With the death of Franco, Spain went loco por el sexo, a trend which, 30 years on, I can report is still pulsing vibrantly through the veins down here.

But the current overflowing of physical vitality is not simply a reaction to the repressive years of the dictatorship. Anarchists in the Civil War spread the word of free love and open marriages, while ‘liberating’ prostitutes from sexual slavery – some of these later fought in the trenches of Aragon.

Promiscuity on the Left in the 1930s became the norm, and even the rather austere-looking widow at the head of the Spanish Communist Party, La Pasionaria, was said to keep a young party member as a lover back home while she emboldened the troops at the front with cries of ¡No pasarán!

Erotic history

Yet the deep eroticism of the Spanish is older than this, and to find its roots you have to go back much further, as I have discovered, to the times of the Moors.

Muslims ruled parts of Spain for 800 years, creating a rich, vibrant culture way ahead of their Christian rivals. When London was a mere group of huts in a marsh by the Thames, as the dusky Arab reminds the blond lieutenant in Lawrence of Arabia, Moorish Cordoba had street lighting, a thousand bath houses and more than 300 libraries.

Moorish Spain was hippest place to be in Medieval Europe, whether you were looking for knowledge, a wash, or the best looking girls, most of them following the latest fashions and trends from Baghdad – even today las co[r]dobesas are renowned as being the prettiest women in Spain.

Cosmopolitan culture and vast wealth combined in this southwestern corner of Europe to create a powerhouse of sophistication and sensuality.

Stroll through the pleasure palace that is the Alhambra in Granada today and you will see what I mean. Rivalled only in beauty by the Taj Mahal, it is a dream-scape made of stone, where fresh mountain water trickles from white marble fountains, forests of fine needle columns reach up to snowflake ceilings, where Arabesques and geometric patterns draw you into other worlds while you shade yourself by a myrtle bush from the relentless Andalusian sun.

This was once the Sultan’s harem, perhaps the most erotic place in the Medieval world. Who could not be stirred by such a place? Read on and comment >>> Jason Webster* | Friday, July 06, 2007

*Jason Webster has written three books about Spain. Duende, Al-Andalus and Guerra are published by Black Swan and are available at all good bookshops. Visit his website here.

Muslim Spain
To the video >>>

Cities of Light: The Rise And Fall Of Islamic Spain (2007)
Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:



Part 4:



Part 5:



Part 6:



Part 7:



Part 8:



Part 9:



Part 10:



Part 11:



Part 12:

When the Moors Ruled in Europe

The Myth of Al-Andalus. Jihad against Spain (and Portugal)

The Myth of Islamic Spain


Hat tip: Always On Watch

Al-Andalus: الأندلس

Insulting King and Country Serious Matter in Spain
TIMESONLINE: One cartoonist depicts a drunken King; another shows the Crown Prince having sex – and a comedian dares to embark on an invective-strewn rant against Spain.

Now the humorists face separate trials for insulting King or country in a nation where humour is still a distinctly risky business. “We have noticed a worrying trend in Spain, because these laws [against insulting the Crown] have been put into practice,” Giulia Tamayo, of Amnesty International, said. “We are concerned that it is setting a precedent.” Spanish law seeks the last laugh over cartoonists' royal fun: Cartoonists on trial for mocking the crown >>> By Thomas Catán in Madrid | June 23, 2008

The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Dust Jacket Hardcover, direct from the publishers (US)
The Dawning of a New Dark Age – Paperback, direct from the publishers (US)

When the Moors Ruled in Europe
The following two videos about the Moors in Spain are quite fascinating; though when watching them, one should be aware that much has probably been whitewashed in the name of political correctness. For all that, they are well worth viewing.


Link: sevenload.com

Link: sevenload.com
Mark Alexander