Moorish History of Valencia, Spain
Moorish History of Valencia
Arriving in 711 A.D. and subsequently taking control of practically the entire Iberian peninsula, the Moors made Valencia an agricultural and industrial center- a role it would continue to play long after the Christian reconquest. Under Islamic rule, ceramics, glasswork, paper, silk and leather industries became major, thriving commercial enterprises and the network of irrigation canals that the Romans had first installed was extended and fine-tuned to perfection.
The Moors ruled Valencia unopposed until the brief six-year interruption resulting from the triumphant rampage of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, more commonly known as the famed El Cid. He descended upon the city, took it under his control, turned nine mosques into churches and installed a bishop before he died in 1099. His wife, Doña Ximena, maintained control for two years following El Cid's death, but would eventually be backed into handing the power back to the Moors in 1101. They would maintain control for another 150 years.
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