Reconquista

 

It's 1492 and a new law has passed.  The Reconquista.  All Jews, Muslims and other people practicing a religion besides Christianity must leave Spain, convert, or be executed.  Why is this happening?  Where will I live?  The people are building up forces but it doesn't look like they will be able to defeat the Spaniards.

 

Jews in the Muslim Empire

The Jews here in Muslim Spain have truly contributed to all the glorious achievements.  They are called dhimmis here, "protected people", "people of the book".  They translated foreign texts, astronomy, astrology, mathematics, and medicine.  The dhimmis have their own community that lives in their own part of town and has partial autonomy.  However, they do have many restrictions, one of which is to pay a special tax called a jizya.

Andalusia

Chess.  A game of strategy.  The Muslims here brought it all the way from India.  The game looks difficult and convoluted but after a while, I got the hang of it!

Music.  I heard a group of musicians playing odd instruments in the streets and asked what they were.  They were playing U'ds, Rababs and many others.  It was beautiful.

House of Wisdom.   It is an enormous library that houses books of every genre.  Scholars from every country imaginable come here and study together, sharing their findings and translating texts.  

These are only a few of the amazing things Andalusia has to offer!

Cordoba

After the Umayyad Dynasty was taken over, some officials fled to Spain and created a Muslim community.  I have the privilege of living there for a bit.  Andalusia is the name of this Muslim Spanish area.  Since I arrived, I can easily say that they have made great strides in technology and education, and I thought the Abbasid Dynasty was advanced!  

Baghdad

I must say, Baghdad, the capital of the Abbasid's, is incredible!  The Abbasids have enriched our culture with knowledge in medicine, astronomy, math, chemistry, sailing, literature and more.  The city of Baghdad itself has a complex architectural structure.  The city is surrounded by indestructible walls and is broken into four quadrants.  Not only that but the Abbasids have introduced us Muslims to a banking system which includes checks and loans.  Life here is very exciting!

Life under the Abbasids

I never knew this day would come.  The Umayyad Dynasty has been conquered by the Abbasids and other enemies of the Umayyads.  We have been living under the reign of the Abbasids now.  Despite the fact that our lives have changed dramatically, the Abbasid's vizier
(chief counselor) may change it for the better.

Damascus

Damascus.  It is the capital of the Umayyad Dynasty.  Uthman has made some amazing changes to our lives.  There has been much construction of mosques, people are cleaning and reopening canals, and there is even talk of creating a postal system.  I never want to leave!

Life under the Umayyads

Life under Uthman, the caliph of the Umayyads, has been very interesting. He is the third caliph and so far, he is leading very well.  He has been spreading Islam across the world and made countless conquests.  It looks like he will be in control for quite some time.

Sunni/Shia Split

Today was devastating.  The two groups have been fighting over their beliefs on who should be the next caliph for some time now.  Now, Islam has split into the Sunnis and the Shias.  Who will be the next caliph?

Hello!

SALAM.  My name is Daliah Al Jaber.  I made this blog to describe my life and experiences.


I love traveling and have devoted my life to living in different parts of the Muslim Empire learning as much as I can from the places I visit.


Here is a picture of my mosque:

Enjoy the blog!