Al Andalus

Read the text then do the activities:

In the C.E, Hroswitha- a Saxon princess and German poetess- wrote of Cordoba, the caliphal capital of Al Andalus, that it was ‘the ornament of the world In the Middle Ages, historians spoke of the two Spains, one Christian and the other Muslim. By Spain they meant the Iberian peninsula: Spain and Portugal. On the other hand Muslims spoke of Al Andalus that embraced all parts of Iberia which were Muslim. Europeans called the Andalusians Moors and their culture, Moorish.
Al Andalus was among the greatest manifestations of civilisation Europe has ever witnessed. It was tolerant and cosmopolitan. It embraced Muslims, Christians and Jews. The Muslim population was diverse: Iberians, Berbers, Arabs, Teutons, Sub-Saharan Africans, Slavs, Persians and others. Musa Ibn Maimun- a Jew physician- once said that the greatest danger for an Andalusian Jew was attraction to Islam.
However, Christians and Jews took pride of the Andalusian way of life, habits, styles and in the Arabic
tongue. Several Jews wrote on the virtues of Arabic and recognised it was superior to Hebrew. A Jew physician and translator of Arabic works said that Arabic was the richest language in the world and the best suited for every type of writing. He felt Arabic was the supreme poetic language for science and the perfect language for philosophy, since it penetrated the hearts of matters and made the obscure clear.
Even Moorish music was an advanced science. Andalusian music being among the most highly developed music forms in the world thanks to Ziryab “the Nightingale”, who was also known for “Al Muwashahat”.
Umar Faruq Abd Allah Wyman-Landgraph (Seeds of Knowledge)
Part One: Reading
A) Comprehension/Interpretation (08)
1) The text refers to:
a) Ancient Europe b) Ancient Spain c) Germany
2) Choose the best answer according to the text:
a) In the fifteenth century, the Muslim world spread from:
* Asia to Europe * Al Andalus to Spain *Europe to Spain
b) For former historians, the two Spains consisted of:
* Europe and the Iberian Peninsula *Spain and Portugal * Spain, Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula
c) Arabic was the language of:
* science * science and philosophy * science, philosophy and poetry.
3) Complete the table according to the text .

who What
they said/wrote about Al Andalus,Islam and Arabic
Hroswitha ?
? Called the Andalusians Moors
? Arabic was the richest language in the world
Umar Faruq Abd Allah ?

4) Answer the questions according to the text
a) Who was Hroswita?
b) How was the Andalusian culture called by the Europens?
c) Why was Arabic said to be the language of science and philosophy?
d) Explain in one or two lines “Cordoba was the ornament of the world”.

B) TEXT EXPLORATION (07)

1)- a) Find in the text words whose definitions follow :

* Containing people from different countries and influenced by their culture. (§3)
* Accepting somebody/something, opinions, behaviours that you may not agree with (§3)
b) Complete the table
Verbs nouns
To speak ?
? civilisation
To attract ?
To translate ?
2) - A) Ask the question that the underlined words answer :

*Hroswitha, a Saxon princess and German poetess wrote: “Cordoba was the ornament of the world.”
*The Muslims called their country El Andalus .

B) Combine the pairs with the appropriate connector making any necessary changes : However- Before
a) They built a brilliant civilisation. They left Spain in 1492.
b) El Andalus was governed by Muslims. All the other religions were respected.

C) Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form :
After the Muslims (leave) Spain, the (go) to North frica in places which (become) flourishing centers.

3) Classify the following words according to their final “ed”.
Advanced - developed - called - recognised

4)Complete the following dialogue.

Dalila: .......................................
Brian: No, I didn’t know that the Muslims built such a brilliant civilisation in Europe
Dalila: .......................................
Brian: No. It is while reading this book that I realised.
Dalila: .......................................
Brian: I realised that the Muslims brought wonderful things to Europe.

Part Two: Writing :

Choose one topic.

Topic one: Islamic civilisation rose and fell down. El Andalus rose and fell down.
According to you, what are the : contributions , reasons and causes of the rise and fall down of the Islamic civilisations?
Topic two: Write a composition about an ancient civilisation that fascinates you most. Write about its period of time, the place, the inventions and discoveries made by its people, the cities and monuments built and the people’s beliefs.