GOLD!!! NOT IN CALIFORNIA!!! BUT IN AL-ANDALUS!!!

The Golden Age of Al-Andalus

Al-Rahman first fled to al-Andalus, also known as Muslim Spain, around the 1000s. He was escaping the assassination of the whole Umayyad family. During his time there, he noticed and reunited the different groups of Muslim Spain. And then, not only did he still have followers of the Umayyads, but these groups of people also followed him as well. During this time, he proclaimed himself emir of al-Andalus and made Cordoba the capital. Afterward, Muslim Spain prospered and grew tremendously to the point of surpassing Baghdad. Having lost his entire family but still living on to rule the most advanced city for a great time, al-Rahman is one of the greatest people known in Muslim history.

Al-Andalus flourished quickly early on. Merchants from all around the world went to trade there as Muslim merchants left there to trade elsewhere. Now, al-Andalus became very prosperous, wealthy, and diverse in cultural goods as America is diverse in culture and people, today. The people of Muslim Spain eventually made the land fertile using a watering system and, later, traded food as well. Therefore, benefiting al-Andalus even further; al-Andalus was far from financially troubled.

Cordoba, like Baghdad, became a street of diverse culture. With merchants bargaining and clinking money all day, many goods were traded in and out of Cordoba. America is also known for its diversity. Here, we have people from all over the world with different traditions and beliefs brought in with them. In fact, the whole world is made of different but similar cultures and people. This is what makes us humans entirely unique, no one person is exactly the same as another. And without these differences, our world would all be the same, as well as boring.

Muslim Spain gradually exceeded Baghdad academically as well. Many people had flocked in, and many of those people became great contributors to the knowledge of Cordoba. Al-Zhawri was a famous doctor that invented many things in the medical world, such as surgical tools. But Cordoba also thrived in art, literature, mathematics, and astronomy. Cordoba eventually collected thousands of books in many languages while Baghdad only had hundreds. These were the first libraries of time, and now they can be found all over the planet. We borrow, read, and study books; libaries are a great help for us to learn.

-mn