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Spain. Al-Andalus. Iberia, Hispania.
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Many names for the same country.
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Spain has had more diversity
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00:00:17,780 --> 00:00:21,980
and more manifestations than
any other country in western Europe.
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It's a peninsula
almost surrounded by water.
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That's its blessing and its curse.
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The road to Spain has always been
the sea, from the South.
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From 3000 BC onwards, the great
traders of the Mediterranean -
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the Greeks and Phoenicians came here
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attracted by its fertile plains,
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and its mines that brought forth
gold and silver, tin and copper.
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00:00:52,380 --> 00:00:55,100
Spain is European,
yet it looks to Africa.
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00:00:57,540 --> 00:01:00,540
Forged by rulers, armies,
peoples and faiths
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00:01:00,540 --> 00:01:03,420
more exotic than
elsewhere in the West.
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Spain's position at the extremity
of Europe has made it the borderland
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and the battlefield of
the continent's
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many different influences.
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It's joined to Europe and yet
only 14km from Africa.
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Everything here
reflects its unique meshing
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of the Jewish, Muslim
and Christian cultures.
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That's what makes Spain so unique.
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I come both as
historian and traveller.
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To explore who and what
shaped the soul of Spain.
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From Paganism, Islam and
Catholicism, via dictatorship,
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to today's democracy.
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I'll tell the story from the
Atlantic to the Mediterranean.
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I start in the South.
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Cadiz, Spain's oldest living city.
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Seville, Andalusia's
Catholic capital.
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Gibraltar, Spain's gateway.
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Cordoba, capital of
the Islamic Caliphate.
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And Granada, home of the Alhambra.
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I'll find the hidden corners, the
stories we don't know, the secrets,
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the titans who created the nation.
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For centuries,
this was Europe's Wild West.
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Where caliphs and kings
created palaces and cities,
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where they fought
wars of annihilation.
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Here, a concubine
could become a queen.
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Here, a naked princess
sparked a decisive invasion.
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Blood and gold, beauty and death,
persecution and tolerance.
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This is the story
of the making of Spain.
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The Atlantic city of Cadiz
is my first stop.
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More than 2,000 years ago,
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this was a colony of the
Phoenician city of Carthage
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in today's Tunisia.
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In 237 BC, one of history's most
famous figures was brought here.
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As a ten-year-old boy,
the young Hannibal came to Cadiz.
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And from here, his father, Hamilcar,
would conquer most of Spain
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as a new Carthaginian empire.
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Now Spain became the battlefield
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for one of the great
set-piece imperial rivalries
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of the ancient world.
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The Phoenicians
came from the city of Tyre.
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They spread out throughout
the Mediterranean.
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And the greatest city
they founded was Carthage.
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00:04:04,540 --> 00:04:07,860
The Carthaginians started to found
an empire and that brought them
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into conflict with the other
rising power of the Mediterranean.
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Rome.
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Hannibal was born into
a family already at war.
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Their name, Barca, meant thunderbolt.
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When his father conquered Spain as
his next move against Rome,
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Hannibal begged to go with him.
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He was 19 when his father died.
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Gradually, he would assume
command of his father's empire.
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The coming war needed the blessing of
the Gods and I've come to meet one.
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Isn't it a breathtaking thought?
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That as we look at this,
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Hannibal himself once
gazed upon this very statue.
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This Cadiz museum contains
some of the priceless treasures
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from Hannibal's time.
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And this figurine of the god Melqart
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once stood on the
Island of Sancti Petri.
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And that's where I'm going,
a few miles south of Cadiz,
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just like Hannibal did.
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In 218 BC, Hannibal, now 29,
travelled here to Melqart's temple.
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He had a plan of astonishing ambition
that required Melqart's blessing.
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Melqart was the God of Tyre,
mother city of the Carthaginians.
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And he appears in the
Jewish Bible as the god Baal.
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00:06:02,660 --> 00:06:06,300
It was said that Melqart
was unfaithful to his wife,
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00:06:06,300 --> 00:06:08,740
who castrated him and killed him,
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at which he was miraculously
brought back to life.
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00:06:12,380 --> 00:06:18,980
His resurrection made him a symbol of
vim, vigour, power and virility.
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Temple complexes like this
were central to ancient life.
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There were human sacrifices.
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Priests cut the throats of bulls
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and splashed blood on the
naked bodies of supplicants.
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As you can see, there's
nothing here except seagulls
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and this deserted 18th-century fort.
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00:06:42,900 --> 00:06:47,540
But this was once one
of the richest, grandest
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and most famous temple shrines
in the entire ancient world.
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It was a critical moment.
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Carthaginian Spain challenged
Roman mastery of the Mediterranean.
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00:07:03,700 --> 00:07:07,700
That meant a new Roman war
against Carthage.
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00:07:07,700 --> 00:07:12,140
Here at Sancti Petri, Hannibal
consulted the Oracle of Melqart.
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Hannibal took an oath
to destroy Rome.
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He said, "I swear to arrest the
destiny of Rome with fire and steel."
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Rather than waiting
for Rome to attack him,
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Hannibal would take
the fight to the enemy.
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It would be one of the most audacious
military campaigns of antiquity.
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Harnessing Spain and Africa,
Hannibal would attack Italy.
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Here in Cadiz, Hannibal
mustered a huge army of 60,000.
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Including Spanish spearmen
and African cavalry.
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00:07:57,900 --> 00:08:02,780
And 40 war elephants,
the ultimate prestige weapon.
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00:08:05,940 --> 00:08:10,620
In 217, Hannibal marched
this huge army, from Spain,
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across the south of France, over the
Alps - including all his elephants -
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and then down into Italy.
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He headed for Rome.
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Hannibal's campaign would bring
Rome to the edge of defeat.
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Victory over Rome would change the
entire history of Europe.
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00:08:36,780 --> 00:08:39,300
Knowing what we know now about
the invincibility
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00:08:39,300 --> 00:08:41,100
of the future Roman Empire,
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00:08:41,100 --> 00:08:45,340
Hannibal's adventure looks
reckless, if not absurd.
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00:08:45,340 --> 00:08:48,380
But Hannibal was a child
of the Hellenistic or Greek culture
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00:08:48,380 --> 00:08:52,940
in the Mediterranean, unleashed
by his hero, Alexander the Great.
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00:08:52,940 --> 00:08:55,980
And compared to Alexander's
exploits in the East,
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this invasion of Italy
might be child's play.
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00:09:03,660 --> 00:09:06,060
It was Rome's supreme crisis.
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Hannibal repeatedly
defeated the Roman armies
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and at Cannae, he routed them.
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00:09:11,140 --> 00:09:15,700
And yet, even as Hannibal was
closing in, Rome did not fall.
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The Romans prayed
and then they rallied.
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00:09:19,540 --> 00:09:23,820
Cato the Elder, one of
their statesmen, repeatedly declared,
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"Carthago delenda est" -
Carthage must be annihilated.
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00:09:29,940 --> 00:09:33,700
And now, they found
a general almost as sublime
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a strategist as Hannibal himself.
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And he would take the war
to Hannibal's Spain,
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just as Hannibal had
brought the war to Rome.
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This was the moment that the
Romans became Romans.
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A few miles north of Seville
in the heart of Andalusia,
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the vicious blood feud of Carthage
and Rome would be decided.
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In 206 BC, the two sides
met right here in a battle.
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The winners would rule Europe
for the next 700 years.
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00:10:16,940 --> 00:10:20,220
The Roman commander was
Publius Cornelius Scipio.
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00:10:22,660 --> 00:10:28,420
It was said in Rome that
only Scipio would dare to take on
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00:10:28,420 --> 00:10:30,340
the Carthaginian Empire.
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Both his father and his uncle
had been killed in battle
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by Hannibal's family.
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00:10:35,700 --> 00:10:38,180
So, for Scipio, it was personal.
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00:10:40,900 --> 00:10:43,980
Just as Hannibal
had vowed to destroy Rome,
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00:10:43,980 --> 00:10:46,420
Scipio vowed to destroy Carthage.
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00:10:46,420 --> 00:10:49,300
And his plan was as bold
as it was simple.
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00:10:49,300 --> 00:10:53,180
While the brilliant Hannibal
fought on in Italy for over a decade,
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Spain was defended by his
feuding, disunited brothers.
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00:10:58,980 --> 00:11:01,940
Scipio slipped into Spain
with his small army.
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00:11:05,900 --> 00:11:10,340
Military historian Saul David
is here to tell me how Scipio
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faced the Carthaginians
right here at Ilipa.
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00:11:13,900 --> 00:11:16,620
We're right on the spot
of that battle.
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00:11:16,620 --> 00:11:18,340
Tell me what happened that day?
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00:11:18,340 --> 00:11:21,380
To give you an idea of numbers,
the Romans have about 50,000
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and the Carthaginians 75,000,
so they're heavily outnumbered.
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And for the two or three days
prior to the actual battle itself,
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Scipio sets his army up
in a very traditional way.
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00:11:29,980 --> 00:11:32,020
So his strongest forces
are in the centre,
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00:11:32,020 --> 00:11:34,180
his Roman and Italian
legions, and his allies,
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who he can't really rely on,
are on the flank.
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00:11:36,620 --> 00:11:39,660
But on the day of the battle itself,
he changes all of that.
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00:11:39,660 --> 00:11:42,060
He orders the army out
very early in the morning,
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he gets them into position
before the Carthaginians
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00:11:44,700 --> 00:11:47,340
are ready to respond
and he changes his formation
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so that his elite forces
are actually now on the flanks.
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00:11:50,380 --> 00:11:52,700
And this allows him
to advance in a very unusual way
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with a concave formation, so that
his best troops are on the side.
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00:11:55,660 --> 00:11:58,900
And in a nutshell, cos you could
go on about this battle
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in great detail, it means that
the strongest Carthaginian troops
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never actually get to fight
until late on during the battle.
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So how did the elephants,
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the Carthaginian elephants
perform on the day?
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00:12:11,260 --> 00:12:14,220
You've got to imagine a scenario
where once the battle starts,
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the elephants don't see
friend or foe.
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They've got their guides,
as it were,
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but everyone else is fair game.
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And if you get in the way
of a war elephant,
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particularly one who's been stung by
a few javelins being thrown at him,
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00:12:24,700 --> 00:12:26,340
he's going to trample anyone.
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And a four-tonne
beast treading on you
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is going to leave a bit
of a sticky mess underneath.
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So, you can see that the
use of the Carthaginian war elephant
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was as much of an own goal
as it was a success.
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Scipio was victorious.
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00:12:46,340 --> 00:12:51,740
Spain became a province of Europe,
not Africa - of Rome, not Carthage.
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He built this, the city of
Italica, next to the battlefield,
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for the veterans of his victory.
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00:13:03,580 --> 00:13:08,820
Control of the peninsula gave Scipio
a springboard to attack North Africa.
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00:13:11,940 --> 00:13:15,060
This amazing mosaic here in Italica
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00:13:15,060 --> 00:13:18,900
tells the story of Scipio's
wars against Carthage.
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00:13:20,780 --> 00:13:25,740
In 204, Scipio crossed to Africa,
taking the war to Carthage.
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00:13:25,740 --> 00:13:30,060
As he approached, the Carthaginians
recalled Hannibal from Italy.
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00:13:30,060 --> 00:13:34,460
He rushed back, but Scipio
defeated him. The city fell.
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00:13:34,460 --> 00:13:38,540
Scipio was rewarded with
a title, Africanus,
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00:13:38,540 --> 00:13:41,060
but his haughtiness
won him many enemies.
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00:13:41,060 --> 00:13:43,900
He was prosecuted
and exiled to his estates.
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00:13:45,780 --> 00:13:50,060
As for Hannibal, he roamed
the East, enemy number one,
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00:13:50,060 --> 00:13:51,980
pursued by Roman agents.
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00:13:52,980 --> 00:13:55,900
Finally, he committed suicide.
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00:13:55,900 --> 00:13:59,580
As for Carthage,
ultimately it was wiped off the map.
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00:14:01,460 --> 00:14:04,620
Now it was Rome's turn
to colonise Spain.
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00:14:08,420 --> 00:14:11,980
The Romans loved
Hispania, Roman Spain.
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00:14:11,980 --> 00:14:15,460
They found it almost
more Italian than Italy.
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00:14:15,460 --> 00:14:20,700
Here, life was good and they could
make great fortunes in fish paste,
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00:14:20,700 --> 00:14:23,220
olive oil and wine.
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00:14:23,220 --> 00:14:29,980
In 98 AD, they chose as Emperor
a general from around here, Italica.
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00:14:29,980 --> 00:14:31,660
His name was Trajan.
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00:14:31,660 --> 00:14:35,700
Competent and honest,
he was a formidable soldier
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00:14:35,700 --> 00:14:37,940
and an outstanding ruler.
205
00:14:37,940 --> 00:14:42,580
He was actually voted the title
Optimus, the best, and he was.
206
00:14:42,580 --> 00:14:47,220
His successor Hadrian,
also from here, Italica,
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00:14:47,220 --> 00:14:51,780
was probably the most accomplished
man ever to rule the Roman Empire.
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00:14:51,780 --> 00:14:56,660
Everything he did, he did properly.
He created the Pantheon in Rome.
209
00:14:56,660 --> 00:14:59,660
And here, he improved
Italica enormously.
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00:15:04,380 --> 00:15:07,620
Marcus Aurelius
the Philosopher Emperor,
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00:15:07,620 --> 00:15:11,300
was also from a Spanish Roman family.
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00:15:11,300 --> 00:15:12,940
It's ironic, isn't it?
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00:15:12,940 --> 00:15:17,820
That the three greatest Roman
emperors at the Empire's zenith
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00:15:17,820 --> 00:15:19,420
were from Roman Spain.
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00:15:22,780 --> 00:15:27,540
Hispania became the food bowl
and the winery of the empire.
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00:15:27,540 --> 00:15:31,220
Producing the essentials
and the delicacies of Roman life.
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00:15:35,980 --> 00:15:39,340
Spanish olive oil and wine were
sent around the Mediterranean
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00:15:39,340 --> 00:15:42,780
in amphorae just like these.
219
00:15:42,780 --> 00:15:46,380
But there was a problem,
which neither the Carthaginians
220
00:15:46,380 --> 00:15:48,860
nor after them,
the Romans, could solve.
221
00:15:48,860 --> 00:15:50,940
The amphorae could only be used once
222
00:15:50,940 --> 00:15:53,740
and after that,
the pottery was tainted.
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00:15:53,740 --> 00:15:58,860
At the height of Roman Hispania,
so many were being exported to Rome -
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00:15:58,860 --> 00:16:03,540
as many as 54 million -
that their debris formed a heap.
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00:16:03,540 --> 00:16:05,900
And the heap became a mountain.
226
00:16:05,900 --> 00:16:09,540
And Mount Testaccio
is still there to this day.
227
00:16:10,860 --> 00:16:14,340
The used amphorae,
transported from Spain to Rome,
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00:16:14,340 --> 00:16:16,060
were broken into pieces
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00:16:16,060 --> 00:16:18,940
and then sprinkled with lime
to neutralise the smell
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00:16:18,940 --> 00:16:20,260
of rancid olive oil.
231
00:16:28,340 --> 00:16:32,940
The centre of Roman life here
in Italica was its amphitheatre.
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00:16:32,940 --> 00:16:36,420
One of the largest and best preserved
after Rome's Colosseum.
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00:16:38,220 --> 00:16:40,340
It could seat 25,000 people.
234
00:16:43,380 --> 00:16:47,980
In around 50 AD, this arena
became the focus for a sport
235
00:16:47,980 --> 00:16:50,300
that later became
the emblem of a nation.
236
00:16:52,820 --> 00:16:57,060
In a moment of imperial whimsy,
the stuttering Emperor Claudius
237
00:16:57,060 --> 00:17:01,020
banned all gladiatorial
fights in Spain.
238
00:17:01,020 --> 00:17:05,260
And these were replaced with
contests of exotic beasts.
239
00:17:05,260 --> 00:17:10,580
The lions and the tigers were
all kept down here in these pits.
240
00:17:10,580 --> 00:17:13,820
And amongst them
were the local Spanish bulls,
241
00:17:13,820 --> 00:17:17,860
which were then sent up into
the amphitheatre to be viciously
242
00:17:17,860 --> 00:17:20,900
slaughtered to the crowds' delight.
243
00:17:20,900 --> 00:17:23,300
This was the beginning
of Spanish bullfighting.
244
00:17:35,300 --> 00:17:39,900
Rome's traditional Gods were
often fused with foreign deities
245
00:17:39,900 --> 00:17:41,860
who became fashionable.
246
00:17:41,860 --> 00:17:45,140
One blood-saturated fertility cult
247
00:17:45,140 --> 00:17:49,260
may link the Carthaginian past
with the Spanish future.
248
00:17:57,340 --> 00:18:00,580
Attis, a comely shepherd boy,
249
00:18:00,580 --> 00:18:03,940
channelled the story
of Melqart before him.
250
00:18:03,940 --> 00:18:08,020
He too was castrated by
his jealous lover,
251
00:18:08,020 --> 00:18:12,300
or some said castrated
himself and bled to death.
252
00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:15,900
But he bounced back
in an unforgettable way
253
00:18:15,900 --> 00:18:21,100
as the ultimate symbol of virility
for his frenzied cult followers.
254
00:18:21,100 --> 00:18:24,940
They would cavort, splattering
themselves with blood,
255
00:18:24,940 --> 00:18:28,220
flagellating themselves,
biting each other,
256
00:18:28,220 --> 00:18:33,740
and as the ultimate gesture
of devotion, castrating themselves.
257
00:18:33,740 --> 00:18:37,300
It's said that these
traditions may be echoed today
258
00:18:37,300 --> 00:18:40,900
in the self-flagellating
Catholic brotherhoods
259
00:18:40,900 --> 00:18:42,740
that are still going on in Spain.
260
00:18:51,020 --> 00:18:55,700
Hadrian, the Spanish-born emperor
who beautified Italica,
261
00:18:55,700 --> 00:18:57,860
unwittingly changed Spain.
262
00:18:59,820 --> 00:19:05,220
When, in 132 AD, his persecution
of the Jews in Jerusalem
263
00:19:05,220 --> 00:19:06,620
provoked a revolt.
264
00:19:10,300 --> 00:19:14,340
Hadrian rushed troops to Judea
to crush the rebellion.
265
00:19:14,340 --> 00:19:16,260
But the Jews under their commander,
266
00:19:16,260 --> 00:19:20,260
the Prince of Israel, Simon Bar
Kokhba, managed to wipe out
267
00:19:20,260 --> 00:19:24,180
several Roman legions before
they were finally crushed.
268
00:19:24,180 --> 00:19:27,620
Hadrian had 500,000 Jews slaughtered
269
00:19:27,620 --> 00:19:31,980
and they were banned in perpetuity
from their beloved Jerusalem.
270
00:19:31,980 --> 00:19:37,220
But many of them came to settle here
in Spain, to found a community
271
00:19:37,220 --> 00:19:41,260
named after the Hebrew word
for Spain, Saffarad,
272
00:19:41,260 --> 00:19:43,900
hence the Sephadic Jews.
273
00:19:43,900 --> 00:19:47,940
Even today, the Jews in
Spain call themselves
274
00:19:47,940 --> 00:19:50,860
"the exile from Jerusalem in Spain".
275
00:20:01,060 --> 00:20:06,380
Out of the Jewish disaster, a new
religion emerged and spread fast.
276
00:20:06,380 --> 00:20:09,140
It would challenge the
Roman empire from within.
277
00:20:18,620 --> 00:20:22,660
I'm leaving Italica and heading
a few miles south to Seville.
278
00:20:22,660 --> 00:20:26,620
To find out what happened
when a new faith of Christianity
279
00:20:26,620 --> 00:20:28,980
confronted the old paganism of Rome.
280
00:20:35,340 --> 00:20:38,580
Seville, now dominated
by Catholic monuments,
281
00:20:38,580 --> 00:20:40,580
was then called Hispalis.
282
00:20:40,580 --> 00:20:43,620
Archaeology reveals it was
a typical Roman city.
283
00:20:47,460 --> 00:20:50,500
This is the story
of Justa and Rufina,
284
00:20:50,500 --> 00:20:52,860
later the patron saints of Seville.
285
00:20:54,060 --> 00:20:56,900
They were sisters, devout Christians,
286
00:20:56,900 --> 00:20:59,740
and much admired
for their work as potters.
287
00:21:03,260 --> 00:21:08,980
In 287 AD, the city prefect
Diogenianus ordered all pots
288
00:21:08,980 --> 00:21:11,100
must be offered to Venus.
289
00:21:11,100 --> 00:21:15,420
This edict was almost certainly
part of Emperor Diocletian's policy
290
00:21:15,420 --> 00:21:17,380
to reinvigorate Roman religion.
291
00:21:18,820 --> 00:21:22,140
It was also a direct
affront to Christianity.
292
00:21:22,140 --> 00:21:24,460
Justa and Rufina made a stand.
293
00:21:25,740 --> 00:21:30,580
Justa and Rufina ran
the best pottery in Seville.
294
00:21:31,740 --> 00:21:36,620
But these wholesome Christians
refused to let their pottery
295
00:21:36,620 --> 00:21:41,420
be used in a pagan festival
for the goddess Venus.
296
00:21:41,420 --> 00:21:43,500
So good was their pottery,
297
00:21:43,500 --> 00:21:47,060
and so essential, that
the pagan crowd was outraged.
298
00:21:47,060 --> 00:21:48,980
They broke into the pottery
299
00:21:48,980 --> 00:21:52,380
and took the pots they needed
for their pagan festival.
300
00:21:53,740 --> 00:21:57,140
The two sisters were
outraged in their turn.
301
00:21:57,140 --> 00:22:00,220
They smashed a statue of Venus.
302
00:22:00,220 --> 00:22:04,540
Now, sympathetic as I am
to these pious young ladies,
303
00:22:04,540 --> 00:22:09,580
this was nothing less than a
brazen bid for martyrdom.
304
00:22:09,580 --> 00:22:12,300
And their prayers
were indeed answered.
305
00:22:12,300 --> 00:22:15,100
Diogenianus arrested them immediately
306
00:22:15,100 --> 00:22:19,260
and they were horribly
tortured with hooks and fire.
307
00:22:19,260 --> 00:22:23,500
When she was almost dead,
Justa was thrown down a 100ft well,
308
00:22:23,500 --> 00:22:25,100
where she perished.
309
00:22:25,100 --> 00:22:28,540
As for Rufina,
she was saved for the lions.
310
00:22:31,740 --> 00:22:35,340
As the wild beasts
were unleashed upon Rufina,
311
00:22:35,340 --> 00:22:37,620
the crowd bayed in anticipation.
312
00:22:39,380 --> 00:22:42,180
But instead of eating her,
they licked her wounds.
313
00:22:43,540 --> 00:22:48,540
The Christians saw this as a miracle
but Diogenianus was unimpressed.
314
00:22:48,540 --> 00:22:53,020
He had her strangled,
beheaded and then burned.
315
00:22:53,020 --> 00:22:55,700
But the Christians
had their first martyr.
316
00:23:03,140 --> 00:23:07,940
Within 30 years, the Roman Empire
itself had converted to Christianity.
317
00:23:07,940 --> 00:23:09,940
Yet it was disintegrating.
318
00:23:09,940 --> 00:23:13,140
When Rome fell in 476 AD,
319
00:23:13,140 --> 00:23:18,260
Spain was at the mercy of invading
tribes of so-called Barbarians.
320
00:23:18,260 --> 00:23:22,620
First came the Vandals, who failed
to hold the Peninsula for long.
321
00:23:22,620 --> 00:23:25,260
They left only one real legacy,
their name.
322
00:23:27,100 --> 00:23:29,900
Andalusia, still the
name for Southern Spain,
323
00:23:29,900 --> 00:23:32,180
comes from the Arabic Al-Andalus,
324
00:23:32,180 --> 00:23:34,740
probably meaning
"The land of the Vandals."
325
00:23:39,020 --> 00:23:44,420
Next, the Byzantine emperor
Justinian captured parts of Spain
326
00:23:44,420 --> 00:23:48,020
until his garrisons were
overrun by the Visigoths.
327
00:23:51,460 --> 00:23:54,540
Ferocious in war,
they were creative in peace.
328
00:23:57,860 --> 00:24:03,700
Visigoths usually feature
as raping and pillaging axe men
329
00:24:03,700 --> 00:24:05,500
of the Dark Ages.
330
00:24:05,500 --> 00:24:10,300
But when the Visigoths settled
in Spain, they produced sages,
331
00:24:10,300 --> 00:24:13,020
scholars as well as soldiers.
332
00:24:13,020 --> 00:24:15,580
This school,
like many others in Spain,
333
00:24:15,580 --> 00:24:20,060
is named after St Isidore,
Visigothic Bishop of Seville,
334
00:24:20,060 --> 00:24:23,660
who refined and adapted Roman law
335
00:24:23,660 --> 00:24:27,820
to create a united, Christian Spain.
336
00:24:27,820 --> 00:24:34,100
Much later, Visigothic Spain became
the prototype for Catholic monarchy.
337
00:24:36,700 --> 00:24:41,020
Ruling for two centuries, their
kingdom would inspire Spanish rulers
338
00:24:41,020 --> 00:24:42,940
right up until the 20th century.
339
00:24:45,820 --> 00:24:49,460
Downstream from Seville is
the river port of Santa Maria.
340
00:24:49,460 --> 00:24:55,700
This stretch of water is known as the
River of the Dead. With good reason.
341
00:24:55,700 --> 00:25:00,140
This river is the place
where Visigothic Spain died.
342
00:25:01,380 --> 00:25:04,420
This is where its last king,
Roderick, was killed.
343
00:25:04,420 --> 00:25:08,580
And it was a moment that changed
the entire destiny of Spain.
344
00:25:11,300 --> 00:25:14,980
The Visigoths matter as much
for how they lost Spain
345
00:25:14,980 --> 00:25:16,180
as for how they won it.
346
00:25:18,860 --> 00:25:21,900
It all started with
a beautiful naked girl.
347
00:25:23,060 --> 00:25:27,940
Roderick, the King, was in the
habit of spying upon Florinda,
348
00:25:27,940 --> 00:25:31,860
the daughter of his nobleman Julian,
while she was in her bath.
349
00:25:31,860 --> 00:25:33,940
One day, he ravished her.
350
00:25:33,940 --> 00:25:37,780
She ran to her father,
Julian, he rebelled.
351
00:25:37,780 --> 00:25:41,380
And here, on this river,
at the River of the Dead,
352
00:25:41,380 --> 00:25:44,540
he met Roderick's forces
and killed him.
353
00:25:44,540 --> 00:25:47,580
Now, most Visigothic kings
were assassinated.
354
00:25:47,580 --> 00:25:49,780
So there was no big deal in that.
355
00:25:49,780 --> 00:25:53,060
But what mattered here
was how he was killed.
356
00:25:53,060 --> 00:25:55,940
For Julian didn't just rebel,
357
00:25:55,940 --> 00:25:58,500
he looked in this direction,
358
00:25:58,500 --> 00:26:02,060
across the sea to North Africa
for help.
359
00:26:02,060 --> 00:26:04,260
Julian summoned Islam.
360
00:26:10,340 --> 00:26:13,100
Far away in the deserts of Arabia,
361
00:26:13,100 --> 00:26:16,900
a new faith,
a new revelation had arisen.
362
00:26:16,900 --> 00:26:19,380
By the time he died in 632,
363
00:26:19,380 --> 00:26:25,060
the Prophet Mohammed had united
Arabia under the banners of Islam.
364
00:26:25,060 --> 00:26:29,780
In the next 50 years, the Arab armies
conquered a vast empire,
365
00:26:29,780 --> 00:26:35,660
stretching from Iran all the way
to Morocco, all ruled from Damascus
366
00:26:35,660 --> 00:26:40,460
by his successors, the commanders
of the faithful, the Caliphs.
367
00:26:47,100 --> 00:26:49,780
The spectacular Arab conquests
368
00:26:49,780 --> 00:26:52,900
brought Islam to the shores
of the Moroccan coast,
369
00:26:52,900 --> 00:26:55,820
just 14km from Spain.
370
00:26:55,820 --> 00:26:59,540
Julian called for help
from the Governor of Tangiers.
371
00:26:59,540 --> 00:27:04,740
This was irresistible to an empire
built on the fever of faith
372
00:27:04,740 --> 00:27:06,660
and the spoils of war.
373
00:27:06,660 --> 00:27:08,460
This is where Islam arrived.
374
00:27:17,380 --> 00:27:18,780
When we think of Gibraltar,
375
00:27:18,780 --> 00:27:22,540
we think of a part of
Spain that isn't really Spanish.
376
00:27:22,540 --> 00:27:24,780
A little piece of Britain
in the Mediterranean,
377
00:27:24,780 --> 00:27:30,340
with red telephone kiosks, postboxes
and the Queen on the postage stamps.
378
00:27:30,340 --> 00:27:34,540
But Gibraltar is also
the southern gateway to Spain.
379
00:27:34,540 --> 00:27:37,980
A short boat trip from
Africa leads straight here.
380
00:27:45,260 --> 00:27:49,100
I'm standing at the very top
of the rock of Gibraltar.
381
00:27:49,100 --> 00:27:52,380
And I'm looking
right over the straits.
382
00:27:52,380 --> 00:27:55,020
Those mountains
are the Atlas Mountains.
383
00:27:55,020 --> 00:27:59,660
And Gibraltar itself,
the name derives from the Arabic,
384
00:27:59,660 --> 00:28:02,420
Jabal Al-Tariq,
the Mountain of Tariq.
385
00:28:02,420 --> 00:28:06,260
And it's named after Tariq Bin-Ziyad,
386
00:28:06,260 --> 00:28:09,460
who governed nearby
Tangiers in Morocco
387
00:28:09,460 --> 00:28:13,540
on behalf of the distant
Umayyad Caliph of Damascus.
388
00:28:13,540 --> 00:28:19,380
In April 711, he raised an army
of 7,000 Arabs and Berbers.
389
00:28:19,380 --> 00:28:22,700
And with his favourite
beautiful slave girl by his side,
390
00:28:22,700 --> 00:28:27,580
they embarked on rafts and crossed
the straits to land in Europe.
391
00:28:27,580 --> 00:28:32,180
Islam had arrived in the West.
They carried all before them.
392
00:28:35,140 --> 00:28:38,060
The divided Visigoths
were overwhelmed.
393
00:28:38,060 --> 00:28:42,260
Some converted to Islam,
others fled North.
394
00:28:42,260 --> 00:28:46,900
The fate of Julian, said to have
invited in the Muslims, is unknown.
395
00:28:47,980 --> 00:28:50,900
The Muslim invaders
would build a culture
396
00:28:50,900 --> 00:28:55,380
that outshone its European neighbours
in wealth and magnificence.
397
00:28:55,380 --> 00:28:59,580
Their legacy infuses
everything in Southern Spain.
398
00:28:59,580 --> 00:29:02,860
And modern Spanish is
still full of Arab words.
399
00:29:04,740 --> 00:29:09,420
For example,
the Spanish word for oil, aceite,
400
00:29:09,420 --> 00:29:13,340
is based on the Arabic
al-zayt for olive juice.
401
00:29:13,340 --> 00:29:18,860
Many words the Spanish think of as
their own today are in fact Arabic.
402
00:29:24,140 --> 00:29:28,780
The Arabic name for the river
that runs north through Andalusia,
403
00:29:28,780 --> 00:29:33,580
the al-wadi al-kabir, or great
river, has not changed much.
404
00:29:33,580 --> 00:29:34,980
The Guadalquivir.
405
00:29:44,220 --> 00:29:45,500
Remember those amphorae
406
00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:49,420
that had to be thrown away after
being used just once or twice?
407
00:29:49,420 --> 00:29:53,660
Well now, the Arabs with their
typical cultural sophistication,
408
00:29:53,660 --> 00:29:57,380
would crack the problem
of the domestic receptacle.
409
00:29:57,380 --> 00:30:00,500
They glazed
the inside of their vases.
410
00:30:00,500 --> 00:30:03,100
Now they could be
used again and again.
411
00:30:03,100 --> 00:30:05,620
An early case of domestic re-cycling.
412
00:30:09,660 --> 00:30:14,180
The Muslim conquerors wanted to
keep Spain for themselves.
413
00:30:14,180 --> 00:30:18,060
Yet they owed allegiance
to a far-off master.
414
00:30:18,060 --> 00:30:22,980
The Umayyad Caliphs ruled
more like magnificent Roman Emperors
415
00:30:22,980 --> 00:30:24,540
than ascetic Islamists.
416
00:30:25,780 --> 00:30:30,580
In 750 AD, they were challenged
by descendents of Mohammed's uncle.
417
00:30:31,660 --> 00:30:34,580
The Umayyads, Caliphs
ruling from Damascus,
418
00:30:34,580 --> 00:30:39,300
were overthrown by the more rigorous
and severe fundamentalists
419
00:30:39,300 --> 00:30:42,500
led by the Abbasid family.
420
00:30:42,500 --> 00:30:46,940
All the Umayyads were invited
to a dinner in Damascus.
421
00:30:46,940 --> 00:30:50,340
In the middle of the banquet,
all of them were massacred
422
00:30:50,340 --> 00:30:54,820
and their bodies preserved and
stored in an underground chamber.
423
00:30:54,820 --> 00:30:58,740
With each one labelled on
their toes with their names.
424
00:30:59,900 --> 00:31:01,660
Only one escaped.
425
00:31:01,660 --> 00:31:04,140
His name was Prince Abd Al-Rahman.
426
00:31:04,140 --> 00:31:08,340
He was 19, tall,
handsome, red-haired.
427
00:31:08,340 --> 00:31:13,700
In a story really worthy of a
Hollywood action movie, he escaped.
428
00:31:13,700 --> 00:31:19,020
The most wanted man in the Islamic
world hunted by Abassid assassins
429
00:31:19,020 --> 00:31:21,060
all the way across North Africa.
430
00:31:21,060 --> 00:31:25,340
At one point, the assassins
got so close, that he had to hide
431
00:31:25,340 --> 00:31:28,740
under the skirts of an
attractive female cousin.
432
00:31:33,820 --> 00:31:36,780
The Abbasids moved
the capital from Damascus
433
00:31:36,780 --> 00:31:38,860
to their new city of Baghdad,
434
00:31:38,860 --> 00:31:42,740
which was even further from their
most distant province, Spain.
435
00:31:45,260 --> 00:31:49,780
For six years, Abd Al-Rahman -
or Rach man - travelled westwards,
436
00:31:49,780 --> 00:31:51,460
amassing supporters,
437
00:31:51,460 --> 00:31:55,180
convinced he could use his
charisma to found his own kingdom.
438
00:31:59,140 --> 00:32:03,660
In September 755,
he landed near Malaga.
439
00:32:03,660 --> 00:32:07,220
His followers awaited him there,
a retinue of just 300.
440
00:32:09,140 --> 00:32:11,420
He headed north, towards Cordoba -
441
00:32:11,420 --> 00:32:16,220
once the Roman capital - to face
the Abbasids and their supporters.
442
00:32:16,220 --> 00:32:19,700
This Damascene Prince swept
all before him
443
00:32:19,700 --> 00:32:21,580
with just a handful of horsemen.
444
00:32:25,660 --> 00:32:29,620
The final showdown
was on the Guadalquivir River.
445
00:32:29,620 --> 00:32:35,140
Abd Al-Rahman, with just 700 men,
smashed the forces of his enemies.
446
00:32:35,140 --> 00:32:41,460
And he then devised a special gift
for the Abassid Caliph in Baghdad
447
00:32:41,460 --> 00:32:44,340
who'd murdered his entire family.
448
00:32:44,340 --> 00:32:48,340
He sealed a basket
and sent it to the Caliph.
449
00:32:48,340 --> 00:32:51,980
When the monarch there in Baghdad
opened it in front of his court,
450
00:32:51,980 --> 00:32:53,820
he shrieked in horror.
451
00:32:53,820 --> 00:32:56,460
It was a basket of severed heads.
452
00:33:00,540 --> 00:33:02,780
Abd Al-Rahman was a true Umayyad.
453
00:33:02,780 --> 00:33:05,660
A tolerant Muslim
and a magnificent builder,
454
00:33:05,660 --> 00:33:08,860
who would now create
a paradise in Spain.
455
00:33:08,860 --> 00:33:11,940
A kingdom of prosperity,
culture, harmony.
456
00:33:18,860 --> 00:33:23,100
Abd Al-Rahman made his
capital here in Cordoba,
457
00:33:23,100 --> 00:33:27,300
where he created a great city
of noble buildings
458
00:33:27,300 --> 00:33:30,900
and lush gardens to
remind him of Damascus.
459
00:33:32,140 --> 00:33:37,820
But he never forgot, never ceased
missing his home city, his Syria.
460
00:33:37,820 --> 00:33:42,340
And he wrote a poignant poem
to a palm tree of Cordoba.
461
00:33:46,260 --> 00:33:51,500
He said, "You too are a stranger
here, sprung from foreign soil."
462
00:33:54,180 --> 00:33:58,020
And he added,
"I too am far from home."
463
00:34:03,180 --> 00:34:06,420
But he was now a monarch,
yet he never forgot
464
00:34:06,420 --> 00:34:10,060
that he'd been a fugitive
on the run for so many years.
465
00:34:10,060 --> 00:34:13,140
And he had a wonderfully earthy
sense of humour.
466
00:34:13,140 --> 00:34:16,580
He was visited by his
attractive female cousin,
467
00:34:16,580 --> 00:34:21,420
up whose skirt he'd hidden
from Abassid assassins.
468
00:34:21,420 --> 00:34:25,540
She used to tease him.
"You hid under my skirt," she'd say.
469
00:34:25,540 --> 00:34:30,060
And he'd reply, "Fragrant
as you are, it was very stifling
470
00:34:30,060 --> 00:34:31,580
"and stuffy up there."
471
00:34:39,420 --> 00:34:41,980
One of the wonders
of the Western world
472
00:34:41,980 --> 00:34:44,740
lies behind this golden doorway.
473
00:34:48,300 --> 00:34:50,140
This was the royal entrance,
474
00:34:50,140 --> 00:34:53,780
reached by a covered
passageway from the palace.
475
00:34:53,780 --> 00:34:58,180
Sealed up for centuries, today,
the way in is round the corner.
476
00:35:00,180 --> 00:35:05,940
In 786, Abd Al-Rahman started
to build Cordoba's Great Mosque
477
00:35:05,940 --> 00:35:07,340
or Mezquita.
478
00:35:07,340 --> 00:35:09,460
This would be his masterpiece.
479
00:35:12,860 --> 00:35:15,220
As more and more converted to Islam,
480
00:35:15,220 --> 00:35:19,100
the Mezquita was expanded again
and again over the centuries.
481
00:35:25,740 --> 00:35:29,820
Its mihrab, or prayer niche,
traditionally faces Mecca.
482
00:35:35,140 --> 00:35:39,460
The Mezquita has 850 columns made
of granite and marble.
483
00:35:41,060 --> 00:35:44,220
A system of two-tiered
pillars has been created,
484
00:35:44,220 --> 00:35:48,380
a forest of supports using
Visigothic columns as a base.
485
00:35:49,780 --> 00:35:53,740
The conquering faith commandeering
the ruins of the old
486
00:35:53,740 --> 00:35:54,980
to build the new.
487
00:35:56,980 --> 00:36:00,060
Even the horseshoe arch
adopted by Islam
488
00:36:00,060 --> 00:36:02,260
may have been of Visigothic design.
489
00:36:07,780 --> 00:36:10,940
Now Cordoba became
a cosmopolitan metropolis.
490
00:36:12,420 --> 00:36:15,780
Arab scientists,
true heirs to the Ancient Greeks,
491
00:36:15,780 --> 00:36:19,020
made astounding advances
unknown to the brutish West.
492
00:36:20,060 --> 00:36:22,460
Scholars, architects, poets,
493
00:36:22,460 --> 00:36:25,860
astrologers gathered at
the glittering Umayyad court.
494
00:36:27,460 --> 00:36:31,420
One man stood out.
His name was Ali Ibn Nafi.
495
00:36:33,420 --> 00:36:37,100
Ibn Nafi was a star, a
famous singer-songwriter
496
00:36:37,100 --> 00:36:40,740
who became an international
trendsetter and dandy,
497
00:36:40,740 --> 00:36:43,700
an aficionado of style and pleasure.
498
00:36:43,700 --> 00:36:46,500
There's something very modern
about him, not unlike a rock star.
499
00:36:46,500 --> 00:36:49,980
A sort of cross between
Beau Brummell and Mick Jagger.
500
00:36:49,980 --> 00:36:54,300
Born in Baghdad, he was
half Kurdish, half African.
501
00:36:54,300 --> 00:36:57,180
Hence his nickname, the Blackbird.
502
00:36:57,180 --> 00:37:00,420
He had sung for
the Caliphs in Baghdad.
503
00:37:00,420 --> 00:37:04,220
But when he came here to Cordoba,
he really became famous.
504
00:37:04,220 --> 00:37:07,100
He was best friends
with the Crown Prince.
505
00:37:07,100 --> 00:37:11,220
He promoted asparagus
from a weed to a delicacy.
506
00:37:11,220 --> 00:37:14,460
He invented the modern
three-course meal.
507
00:37:14,460 --> 00:37:19,660
Everyone wanted to look like him,
dress like him, sound like him.
508
00:37:19,660 --> 00:37:22,340
Everyone wanted to be like Ibn Nafi.
509
00:37:30,300 --> 00:37:32,420
MAN SINGS
510
00:37:32,420 --> 00:37:35,020
I've come to watch
a flamenco show.
511
00:37:35,020 --> 00:37:38,220
This most Spanish of art forms
can trace its roots
512
00:37:38,220 --> 00:37:41,060
back to Ibn Nafi's musical vision.
513
00:37:41,060 --> 00:37:44,660
At its heart is a special
technique for playing the guitar.
514
00:37:59,100 --> 00:38:02,140
HE PLAYS LEYENDA BY ALBENIZ
515
00:38:03,420 --> 00:38:06,780
Juan Antonio Martinez is
professor of guitar
516
00:38:06,780 --> 00:38:09,260
at the Ibn Nafi Conservatory
in Cordoba.
517
00:38:19,820 --> 00:38:22,900
So what was Ibn Nafi's influence?
518
00:38:22,900 --> 00:38:25,340
IN SPANISH:
519
00:38:40,180 --> 00:38:44,900
So, is there a direct line
from Ibn Nafi's oud
520
00:38:44,900 --> 00:38:48,580
all the way to the modern
Spanish Flamenco guitar?
521
00:39:11,900 --> 00:39:16,500
So, now will you show us
on the actual guitar?
522
00:39:16,500 --> 00:39:18,580
Si. Thank you.
523
00:39:46,580 --> 00:39:49,460
The culture of Al-Andalus
is deeply buried
524
00:39:49,460 --> 00:39:52,100
in what became Spanish culture.
525
00:39:52,100 --> 00:39:57,140
Yet Islamic tolerance can be a little
exaggerated. Islam was supreme.
526
00:39:57,140 --> 00:40:01,620
Jews and Christians were only free
to worship if they paid a special tax
527
00:40:01,620 --> 00:40:04,700
and always recognised Muslim mastery.
528
00:40:07,500 --> 00:40:12,220
And yet there were those, of course,
who resented the supremacy of Islam.
529
00:40:12,220 --> 00:40:16,860
Eulogius of Cordoba led
a movement of radical Christians
530
00:40:16,860 --> 00:40:19,660
who actually sought martyrdom
531
00:40:19,660 --> 00:40:23,020
by publicly insulting
the Prophet Mohammed.
532
00:40:23,020 --> 00:40:28,300
Eulogious was duly arrested
and tried and then beheaded.
533
00:40:28,300 --> 00:40:32,900
The headless trunk of his body
was tossed onto the river bank
534
00:40:32,900 --> 00:40:35,300
to be feasted upon by dogs.
535
00:40:41,100 --> 00:40:44,940
In the writings he left behind,
Eulogius quoted the Bible
536
00:40:44,940 --> 00:40:46,580
and he left an ominous message.
537
00:40:47,740 --> 00:40:49,500
"Follow my example," he said,
538
00:40:49,500 --> 00:40:52,140
"because I follow
the example of Christ."
539
00:40:54,500 --> 00:40:59,540
Religious co-existence would prove to
be a challenging idea for Spain.
540
00:41:07,620 --> 00:41:11,900
In 912, Abd Al-Rahman III,
aged just 21,
541
00:41:11,900 --> 00:41:13,980
succeeded to the throne of Cordoba.
542
00:41:15,940 --> 00:41:17,700
The greatest of the Umayyads,
543
00:41:17,700 --> 00:41:20,860
he created paved streets,
public lighting,
544
00:41:20,860 --> 00:41:23,700
and collected a library of
half a million books.
545
00:41:25,940 --> 00:41:30,180
Cordoba under Abd Al-Rahman
was one of the biggest, richest
546
00:41:30,180 --> 00:41:33,140
and most diverse cities
in all of Europe.
547
00:41:33,140 --> 00:41:35,580
Only Constantinople was its equal
548
00:41:35,580 --> 00:41:39,380
and it may have had several hundred
thousand people living in it.
549
00:41:39,380 --> 00:41:45,220
At the same time, London and Paris
had just 10-15,000 inhabitants.
550
00:41:45,220 --> 00:41:47,220
They were just glorified villages.
551
00:41:57,820 --> 00:42:02,860
Just outside Cordoba, these ruins
display Abd Al-Rahman's ambition.
552
00:42:04,500 --> 00:42:08,380
In 929, he declared
himself The Caliph.
553
00:42:08,380 --> 00:42:12,340
Islam was divided between
the Abassid Caliph in Baghdad
554
00:42:12,340 --> 00:42:15,300
and a new Fatimid Caliph
in North Africa.
555
00:42:15,300 --> 00:42:18,420
It was time for the Umayyads
to show their power.
556
00:42:21,540 --> 00:42:24,940
To project his authority
as commander of the faithful,
557
00:42:24,940 --> 00:42:28,260
as political and religious ruler,
558
00:42:28,260 --> 00:42:33,340
the Caliph of the West created
this long-forgotten paradise
559
00:42:33,340 --> 00:42:35,180
of power and faith.
560
00:42:35,180 --> 00:42:37,620
It lay hidden for 900 years.
561
00:42:42,700 --> 00:42:47,660
Abd Al-Rahman moved his court to
this vast hillside complex.
562
00:42:47,660 --> 00:42:52,500
Its grandeur was the architectural
version of his own status
563
00:42:52,500 --> 00:42:54,500
as Caliph and conqueror.
564
00:42:55,580 --> 00:42:58,140
Only one thing really
mattered to him,
565
00:42:58,140 --> 00:43:02,540
the plenitude and panoply
of his own power.
566
00:43:02,540 --> 00:43:06,620
And that's why he built
this amazing complex.
567
00:43:06,620 --> 00:43:10,900
The Medinat Al-Zahara,
the dazzling palace.
568
00:43:10,900 --> 00:43:13,260
And it really does dazzle.
569
00:43:13,260 --> 00:43:17,660
This was political headquarters,
military command centre,
570
00:43:17,660 --> 00:43:21,700
spectacular showpiece and
pleasure palace.
571
00:43:27,300 --> 00:43:30,660
The palace wasn't only
intimidating to those inside.
572
00:43:30,660 --> 00:43:34,500
It commanded views for miles
around along the river valley.
573
00:43:35,980 --> 00:43:40,780
The ideal majestic fortress
for a vigilant, paranoid monarch
574
00:43:40,780 --> 00:43:42,140
like Abd Al-Rahman.
575
00:43:44,420 --> 00:43:51,060
At heart, this man was a
ferocious and thin-skinned tyrant.
576
00:43:51,060 --> 00:43:55,100
He was stout, blonde, stunted,
577
00:43:55,100 --> 00:43:59,700
and his legs were so short, that he
had to have special stirrups made.
578
00:43:59,700 --> 00:44:02,500
And he didn't take
kindly to rejection.
579
00:44:02,500 --> 00:44:07,660
He kept two harems here,
one of boys and one of girls.
580
00:44:07,660 --> 00:44:12,100
When a girl resisted his advances,
he had her face burnt off.
581
00:44:12,100 --> 00:44:15,380
When a boy did the same,
he was dismembered.
582
00:44:15,380 --> 00:44:19,580
He was Pelagius of Cordoba,
who was later canonised.
583
00:44:19,580 --> 00:44:25,380
And somewhere here in this palace
he kept a menagerie, a zoo of lions.
584
00:44:25,380 --> 00:44:28,220
And if he didn't like you,
he fed you to them.
585
00:44:39,500 --> 00:44:42,140
The hanging gardens were legendary.
586
00:44:42,140 --> 00:44:45,380
Water for the sunken pools
was pumped all the way
587
00:44:45,380 --> 00:44:47,300
from the Guadalquivir river.
588
00:44:47,300 --> 00:44:52,900
These waterways even supplied one
of the world's first water closets.
589
00:44:52,900 --> 00:44:56,740
Here in an obscure corner of
the Medinat Al-Zahara
590
00:44:56,740 --> 00:45:01,300
is an impressive piece
of modern Arab technology.
591
00:45:01,300 --> 00:45:03,060
It's down here.
592
00:45:03,060 --> 00:45:04,900
Now let me show you this.
593
00:45:04,900 --> 00:45:08,420
This is an early,
rather primitive bidet.
594
00:45:08,420 --> 00:45:11,100
You can see there's running water.
595
00:45:11,100 --> 00:45:14,900
What we're looking at here is
in fact one of the first examples
596
00:45:14,900 --> 00:45:17,180
of a European flushing lavatory.
597
00:45:18,700 --> 00:45:24,820
The courtiers of the Caliph lived
here in comfort and hygiene at a time
598
00:45:24,820 --> 00:45:30,700
when Londoners and Parisians were
mired in a miasma of stinking filth.
599
00:45:36,180 --> 00:45:39,940
The complex was sacked in the
early part of the 11th century,
600
00:45:39,940 --> 00:45:43,700
so completely, that for many
centuries, people doubted
601
00:45:43,700 --> 00:45:46,660
that the Medinat Al-Zahara
had ever existed.
602
00:45:46,660 --> 00:45:49,420
It was only rediscovered in 1911.
603
00:45:49,420 --> 00:45:53,420
And Abd Al-Rahman's buried
secrets are still being revealed
604
00:45:53,420 --> 00:45:55,060
to the modern world.
605
00:45:55,060 --> 00:45:58,900
It's said that he named it
after his favourite concubine
606
00:45:58,900 --> 00:46:02,180
but he doesn't really strike me
as much of a romantic.
607
00:46:02,180 --> 00:46:04,820
Besides, he wasn't spoilt for choice.
608
00:46:04,820 --> 00:46:08,180
He had 6,000 girls here in his harem.
609
00:46:18,780 --> 00:46:22,740
Historian Simon Barton has
written a book about the practice
610
00:46:22,740 --> 00:46:25,300
of taking concubines.
611
00:46:25,300 --> 00:46:29,340
It was all about good looks and
apparently it was said
612
00:46:29,340 --> 00:46:32,860
that the Umayyad Caliphs
were predisposed by nature
613
00:46:32,860 --> 00:46:34,060
to prefer blondes.
614
00:46:34,060 --> 00:46:36,700
Now that's interesting.
Where did these blondes come from?
615
00:46:36,700 --> 00:46:41,340
There were markets in Northern
France, in the Mediterranean.
616
00:46:41,340 --> 00:46:45,380
We have Muslim slave merchants
but also Jews heavily involved
617
00:46:45,380 --> 00:46:49,900
in trafficking, particularly women
and children across Europe.
618
00:46:49,900 --> 00:46:52,060
And if one of these concubines,
619
00:46:52,060 --> 00:46:54,780
who had been bought
as powerless slaves,
620
00:46:54,780 --> 00:46:58,660
became the mother of a future
monarch, a future caliph,
621
00:46:58,660 --> 00:47:01,180
they could become vastly powerful.
622
00:47:01,180 --> 00:47:02,660
That's absolutely true.
623
00:47:02,660 --> 00:47:06,780
In fact, all the emirs and caliphs
of the Umayyad dynasty
624
00:47:06,780 --> 00:47:09,420
were born to slave concubines.
625
00:47:09,420 --> 00:47:12,980
And they were said to have
likewise blonde hair, blue eyes.
626
00:47:12,980 --> 00:47:17,060
The advantage of a concubine
is that it functions
627
00:47:17,060 --> 00:47:19,580
as a dynastic defence mechanism.
628
00:47:19,580 --> 00:47:24,260
It means that unlike a wife's
family, which can get involved
629
00:47:24,260 --> 00:47:28,340
in the politics of a dynasty,
the concubine as a slave
630
00:47:28,340 --> 00:47:33,980
who's been uprooted from her home
land, will have no vested interest
631
00:47:33,980 --> 00:47:36,100
in the dynasty itself.
632
00:47:36,100 --> 00:47:39,060
It was a way of keeping
the dynasty secure.
633
00:47:39,060 --> 00:47:43,180
So, actually, it's much more
about power than sex? Absolutely.
634
00:47:49,940 --> 00:47:52,940
The system required
a strong Caliph at the top.
635
00:47:54,740 --> 00:47:58,060
And when the rules were broken,
the Caliphate fell apart.
636
00:48:12,380 --> 00:48:17,180
In 976, the succession of a
child, Caliph Hisham II,
637
00:48:17,180 --> 00:48:18,900
revealed its fragility.
638
00:48:18,900 --> 00:48:22,700
He was still a boy growing up
under the tutelage of his mother,
639
00:48:22,700 --> 00:48:24,580
Subh, a former concubine.
640
00:48:26,220 --> 00:48:28,660
She sidelined Hisham, her own son,
641
00:48:28,660 --> 00:48:34,140
and opened the doors of power to
forces outside the Umayyad dynasty.
642
00:48:34,140 --> 00:48:39,740
She appointed her new lover
as Grand Vizier, prime minister.
643
00:48:39,740 --> 00:48:43,100
His name was Al-Mansur,
the Victorious,
644
00:48:43,100 --> 00:48:45,740
and he was one of the
most brilliant, ruthless
645
00:48:45,740 --> 00:48:48,700
and extraordinary characters
of the entire Caliphate.
646
00:48:48,700 --> 00:48:53,260
He launched 57 raids of holy war
against the Christian North,
647
00:48:53,260 --> 00:48:55,700
burning and pillaging and looting.
648
00:48:55,700 --> 00:49:00,820
Here in Cordoba, he burned
the civilised cultured libraries
649
00:49:00,820 --> 00:49:03,060
of the Umayyad Caliphs before him.
650
00:49:03,060 --> 00:49:06,780
In his raids in the North,
he destroyed all he found
651
00:49:06,780 --> 00:49:10,940
in order to fund the building
of mosques and palaces here.
652
00:49:10,940 --> 00:49:13,860
In 997, his raids
reached their climax
653
00:49:13,860 --> 00:49:17,700
when he sacked
Santiago de Compostela.
654
00:49:17,700 --> 00:49:21,500
The doors and the bells of its
churches were brought back
655
00:49:21,500 --> 00:49:25,900
in triumph to Cordoba, on the
backs of Christian slaves.
656
00:49:32,220 --> 00:49:35,420
Ironically, Al-Mansur
was too successful.
657
00:49:35,420 --> 00:49:39,940
His triumphs hollowed out
and undermined the Caliphate.
658
00:49:44,220 --> 00:49:46,980
He promoted himself as a quasi-Caliph
659
00:49:46,980 --> 00:49:49,900
and founded his
own semi-royal dynasty
660
00:49:49,900 --> 00:49:52,380
by marrying a Christian princess.
661
00:49:55,260 --> 00:49:59,100
Al-Mansur's sons lacked his
irrepressible drive,
662
00:49:59,100 --> 00:50:01,460
his talent and his restraint.
663
00:50:01,460 --> 00:50:05,020
When they undermined
the legitimacy of the Caliph,
664
00:50:05,020 --> 00:50:07,460
the regime disintegrated.
665
00:50:07,460 --> 00:50:11,660
First, he was succeeded by one son,
then he was assassinated.
666
00:50:11,660 --> 00:50:16,220
But then came the preposterous
popinjay Sanchuelo,
667
00:50:16,220 --> 00:50:18,940
who tried to make himself a Caliph.
668
00:50:18,940 --> 00:50:22,020
The entire kingdom fell apart.
669
00:50:22,020 --> 00:50:25,420
There died the glory of Al-Andalus.
670
00:50:29,980 --> 00:50:35,180
In 1031, 30 years after Al-Mansur's
death, the Caliphate collapsed.
671
00:50:36,900 --> 00:50:39,860
Al-Andalus broke down
into little city states,
672
00:50:39,860 --> 00:50:43,540
ruled by their princes,
like medieval barons in the West.
673
00:50:46,900 --> 00:50:51,020
The Great Mosque of Cordoba,
built by the first Abd Al-Rahman
674
00:50:51,020 --> 00:50:54,780
and expanded by Al-Mansur,
still exists.
675
00:50:54,780 --> 00:50:58,100
We can still admire
its scale and beauty.
676
00:51:02,980 --> 00:51:06,260
When it later fell to the Christians,
they didn't destroy it.
677
00:51:06,260 --> 00:51:08,900
They built a cathedral
amidst the Mezquita.
678
00:51:18,220 --> 00:51:23,140
Even today, people in Cordoba
talk of going to mass in the Mosque.
679
00:51:37,620 --> 00:51:41,060
I'm travelling to Granada now
for my last stop.
680
00:51:45,300 --> 00:51:49,340
I'm following the story of one man,
who despite not being a Muslim,
681
00:51:49,340 --> 00:51:53,380
rose to the top in
11th-century Islamic Spain.
682
00:51:53,380 --> 00:51:55,460
And who did so at a moment
683
00:51:55,460 --> 00:51:59,300
when Islamic Spain itself
was in the grip of change.
684
00:52:03,340 --> 00:52:07,420
The city of Granada owes its name
to both its Jewish and Muslim roots.
685
00:52:08,780 --> 00:52:12,300
The Jews called it
the City of Pomegranates.
686
00:52:12,300 --> 00:52:15,300
And the Arab word
for pomegranate is gr'nata.
687
00:52:23,500 --> 00:52:27,220
The Emirate of Granada was
one of the smaller principalities
688
00:52:27,220 --> 00:52:29,940
that came after the Caliphate.
689
00:52:29,940 --> 00:52:34,140
This, its most celebrated attraction,
is part of its later history.
690
00:52:37,140 --> 00:52:39,900
I'll be coming back here
in the next episode.
691
00:52:41,940 --> 00:52:44,300
To explore its splendour
692
00:52:44,300 --> 00:52:47,020
and see some of
its lesser-known gems.
693
00:52:49,820 --> 00:52:55,660
This amazing building is now famous
as the Alhambra Palace of Granada.
694
00:52:55,660 --> 00:53:00,180
But 300 years before it was built,
this was the site of the palace
695
00:53:00,180 --> 00:53:04,980
of one of the most extraordinary
Jewish leaders in Spanish history
696
00:53:04,980 --> 00:53:07,420
and in fact, one of the most
extraordinary statesmen
697
00:53:07,420 --> 00:53:10,260
in all of the peninsula's story.
698
00:53:10,260 --> 00:53:13,020
His name was Samuel Ibn Naghrillah.
699
00:53:13,020 --> 00:53:16,460
He started off as a
spice merchant in Cordoba.
700
00:53:16,460 --> 00:53:21,260
He moved here and became
the advisor to the Berber rulers
701
00:53:21,260 --> 00:53:24,300
of the principality of Granada.
702
00:53:24,300 --> 00:53:27,460
When he backed the right
candidate for the throne,
703
00:53:27,460 --> 00:53:30,700
Samuel became not only the
leader of the Jewish Community
704
00:53:30,700 --> 00:53:33,340
but the Grand Vizier,
the prime minister,
705
00:53:33,340 --> 00:53:37,180
and the Commander in Chief
of the Granadan army.
706
00:53:37,180 --> 00:53:40,460
In war, he commanded
and won victories.
707
00:53:40,460 --> 00:53:43,380
In peace, he was leader of
the Jewish community,
708
00:53:43,380 --> 00:53:45,940
he wrote works of Jewish philosophy,
709
00:53:45,940 --> 00:53:50,180
he was a rabbi, and above all,
he was a poet.
710
00:53:50,180 --> 00:53:53,580
His poetry is astonishing
even in English translation.
711
00:53:53,580 --> 00:53:57,100
But he wrote in Hebrew and
in Arabic. He wrote love poems.
712
00:53:57,100 --> 00:54:00,740
Love poems to
beautiful girls, to wine,
713
00:54:00,740 --> 00:54:05,100
to boys and to the
excitement of victory in war.
714
00:54:10,340 --> 00:54:14,100
Here in Granada,
a group of Naghrillah enthusiasts
715
00:54:14,100 --> 00:54:16,140
are gathering to hear
some of his poetry.
716
00:55:08,580 --> 00:55:11,740
In this poem, Naghrillah
describes how wisdom
717
00:55:11,740 --> 00:55:14,500
comes from the knowledge
we're not here forever.
718
00:55:41,340 --> 00:55:44,260
In 1056, Samuel Naghrillah died
719
00:55:44,260 --> 00:55:48,940
but he was succeeded by his son
Joseph as Grand Vizier of Granada.
720
00:55:48,940 --> 00:55:52,140
Joseph was only 20
but he can't have been a fool
721
00:55:52,140 --> 00:55:54,540
because he ruled for ten years.
722
00:55:54,540 --> 00:55:57,500
It was quite traditional
for Grand Viziers to be succeeded
723
00:55:57,500 --> 00:56:01,260
by their sons and even to
found little mini-dynasties.
724
00:56:01,260 --> 00:56:04,740
But there was a problem.
The Naghrillahs were Jews.
725
00:56:12,500 --> 00:56:16,500
Now this Jewish potentate
seemed an enemy within
726
00:56:16,500 --> 00:56:18,740
from a dynasty of interlopers.
727
00:56:28,220 --> 00:56:32,500
In 1066, a date as resonant
for the Jews of Granada
728
00:56:32,500 --> 00:56:38,100
as it was for King Harold, the Saxon
King of England, something snapped.
729
00:56:38,100 --> 00:56:43,100
A mob came to Joseph's palace, close
to the Alhambra, and dragged him out.
730
00:56:43,100 --> 00:56:46,380
They chased him through the streets.
He was unable to escape.
731
00:56:50,420 --> 00:56:54,340
When the mob finally caught up with
Joseph Naghrillah, it was right here.
732
00:56:54,340 --> 00:56:57,420
They lynched him and then
went on a killing spree,
733
00:56:57,420 --> 00:57:00,140
massacring 4,000 Jews.
734
00:57:00,140 --> 00:57:02,740
As for Joseph, they crucified him
735
00:57:02,740 --> 00:57:05,780
right here beside this
magnificent city gate.
736
00:57:12,900 --> 00:57:16,620
The crucifixion of Joseph
Naghrillah in Granada marked
737
00:57:16,620 --> 00:57:20,500
the beginning of the end of
religious pluralism in Muslim Spain.
738
00:57:22,660 --> 00:57:25,700
The Naghrillahs were not
the first Jewish Grand Viziers
739
00:57:25,700 --> 00:57:27,500
in the Islamic world.
740
00:57:27,500 --> 00:57:29,620
Yet the confidence of the Caliphate,
741
00:57:29,620 --> 00:57:32,900
necessary for such
broad-mindedness, was past.
742
00:57:32,900 --> 00:57:37,700
Over 400 years,
Spain would tear itself apart.
743
00:57:43,180 --> 00:57:47,420
Next time, how the Christian
Kings of the North struck back,
744
00:57:47,420 --> 00:57:50,620
conquering all of Spain
for the cross.
745
00:57:50,620 --> 00:57:54,740
How Spain purified its blood
in a vicious Inquisition,
746
00:57:54,740 --> 00:57:58,340
catching even some of
my own family in its net.
747
00:57:59,780 --> 00:58:03,180
Oh, my God! So this
is his death sentence?
748
00:58:03,180 --> 00:58:05,100
It's just heartbreaking.
749
00:58:05,100 --> 00:58:08,140
And how Christopher
Columbus set sail
750
00:58:08,140 --> 00:58:10,500
to discover a rich American empire.
751
00:58:17,700 --> 00:58:19,940
If this story has inspired you
752
00:58:19,940 --> 00:58:22,180
and you'd like to find out more,
753
00:58:22,180 --> 00:58:25,060
go to the address given on screen
754
00:58:25,060 --> 00:58:27,660
and follow the links
to The Open University.
65514
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