how+did+islam+spread+in+europe

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__EASTERN EUROPE __

The early beginnings of Islam in Eastern Europe began when the Arab Muslims fought the Byzantine Empire. As a result of this conquest, the Christian Syria, Armenia, Egypt and North Africa fell under Arab control. Constantinople was threatened twice, but the Byzantines were able to defend their capital, and therefore blocked the expansion of the Arab caliphate towards the east of Europe.

However, around the 14th and 15th centuries, the Ottoman Empire took over the remaining parts of the Byzantine empire, including Constantinople, and established Islam as the official religion. The empire continued to expand to Hungary and reached as far as north Podolia, in the 17th century. 

WESTERN EUROPE

Muslim forays into the west of Europe began shortly after the religion's inception, with a short lived invasion of Byzantine Sicily by a small Arab and Berber force that landed in 652. Islam gained its first foothold in Europe from 711 onward, with the Umayyad conquest of Spain. This led to the establishment of the Caliphate of Cordoba.

The Caliphate of Cordoba ruled the Iberian Peninsula and part of North Africa from 929 to 1031. This period was characterized by remarkable success in trade and culture. Abd-ar-Rahman proclaimed himself caliph of Cordoba, who was member of the Umayyad dynasty.

The economy of the Caliphate was very diverse and successful, primarily consisting of trade and plundering. State-sponsored raids into neighboring Christian kingdoms were very lucrative throughout the history of the Caliphate. Through the early years, tribute payments were made to Córdoba to guarantee safety. Muslim trade routes connected al-Andalus with the rest of the Mediterranean and beyond. There were many areas of industry that were revitalized during the Caliphate: textiles, ceramics, glassware, metalwork, and agriculture all benefiting the state. Tariffs were lucrative. Taxes imposed on Jews and Christians living within the Caliphate were another source of income.

In the cultural aspect, Cordoba was the cultural epicenter of all al-Andalus. Mosques, such as The Great Mosque are perfect examples of how Spanish architecture was influenced by Islam. Córdoba was also the intellectual centre of al-Andalus, with translations of ancient Greek texts to Arabic, Latin and Hebrew. Appreciable advances in science, history, geography, philosophy and grammar occurred during the Caliphate.

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