The Moors​—Where Did They Come From?

The seventh and eighth centuries were a time of enormous political and religious upheavals in the Middle East and in the Mediterranean region. During the hundred years that followed the death of the prophet Muhammad in 632 C.E., his ardent followers created an Islamic empire that stretched from the Indus River in the East to the Pyrenees in the west. Spain itself was invaded in 711 C.E. and was gradually conquered by Muslim armies composed of Berbers, or North African tribesmen, and Arabs who later formed the ruling class. The invaders are generally called “Moors,” irrespective of their country of origin.a

This vast Muslim empire, equaling its Roman counterpart in extent, was religious as well as political. Although the Islamic conquerors usually did not propagate their religion by force, the new faith gradually won over not only the pagans but most of those claiming to be Christian in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as many in Spain.