Why "Moors" Erases History:
The Case for Calling Them Arab Muslims
For centuries, Western textbooks have referred to the Muslim conquerors of Spain as “Moors”—a vague, exotic label that obscures more than it reveals. But who were the so-called Moros, and why does the term persist despite its historical inaccuracy?
The Arab-Muslim Conquest of Spain
The Muslim conquest of Iberia began in 711 CE, when Tariq ibn Ziyad, a Berber general under the Umayyad Caliphate in Damascus, crossed from North Africa into southern Spain. These forces were made up of Arab Muslims and North African Berbers, operating under the banner of the Islamic empire headquartered in Damascus.
Their conquest laid the foundation for Al-Andalus, a flourishing Muslim civilization that would last nearly 800 years.
Who Were the "Moors"?
The term Moor (or Moro in Spanish) is not an identity the Muslim conquerors used for themselves. It is a European invention, loosely derived from the Latin Maurus—originally referring to the Berbers of Mauretania (modern-day Morocco). Over time, Christian chroniclers lumped together Arabs, Berbers, and African Muslims under the label "Moors," stripping them of ethnic, cultural, and religious specificity.
This served an important function: it racialized and mystified the Muslim presence in Spain, detaching it from its roots in Arab-Islamic civilization and masking the Islamic nature of the cultural achievements in architecture, science, philosophy, and art.
From Damascus to Córdoba: A Civilizational Bridge
When the Umayyads were overthrown in 750 CE by the Abbasids in Baghdad, a single Umayyad prince—Abd al-Rahman I—escaped to Spain and established a new emirate in Córdoba. The city would become a beacon of learning, medicine, and philosophy.
It’s no coincidence that Andalusian architecture mirrors the aesthetics of Damascus and the greater Islamic world. From the horseshoe arches of the Great Mosque of Córdoba to the geometric intricacy of the Alhambra in Granada, the legacy of Damascus traveled westward—not just in armies, but in intellect, artistry, and urban sophistication.
Why the West Clings to “Moors”
The term “Moors” allows Western historiography to:
Avoid crediting Arabs and Muslims for Spain’s scientific and cultural blossoming
Obscure Islam’s civilizing impact on Europe during the so-called “Dark Ages”
Frame the Reconquista as a Christian victory over an alien, foreign presence—rather than a reconquest of territory lost to fellow Mediterranean people who happened to be Muslims
This is not just a matter of semantics—it’s about historical truth and cultural recognition.
It’s Time to Say “Arab Muslims”
We must move away from generic and misleading terms like “Moors” or “Moros.” The historical record is clear: Arab Muslims, supported by Berber allies, brought Islamic civilization to Spain. To refer to them accurately honors both their identity and their contribution to global history.
In an age when we are reassessing how history is told—whose voices are heard, and whose are silenced—reclaiming the true identity of Al-Andalus’s founders is not just an act of scholarship. It is an act of justice.