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As-Salamu 'Alaykum would have been a common greeting in Sicily a thousand years ago. Why? Because from 827 to 1061, Sicily was under Arab rule. It was a period of enlightenment, whose cultural, social, and economic reforms had a profound and long-lasting influence still felt today.
After the birth of Islam in the 7th century CE, the Arabic world soon rose to a position of dominance in many fields, such as medicine, mathematics, farming, and cartography. Their military might was no less significant, and it was only a matter of time before Sicily, the crossroads of the Mediterranean, fell into Arab hands.
Ziyadat Allah seized control of Mazara del Vallo, and the invasion continued towards Palermo. Bal’harm, as they renamed the town, was to become the capital city. Over the next fifty years, most major towns fell to the Arabs, the last being Syracuse in 878.
In the field of agriculture, the Arabs divided up the larger estates and diversified production. While continuing to exploit Sicily’s potential as a wheat producer, they introduced a whole variety of crops, including citrus fruits. Sugar cane and hemp were also cultivated in considerable quantities, nurtured by highly effective irrigation systems. And if all that weren’t enough, Sicilian Arabs were the first to mass-produce dried pasta - an undertaking of huge importance for the world as a whole.
#italian #arabs #similarities
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References:
- www.thethinkingtraveller.com/...
- www.sbs.com.au/language/engli....
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History...
- www.thethinkingtraveller.com/...
- stepfeed.com/8-ways-italians-...