Andalusian

Andalusians or Moors were the Muslim inhabitants of Al-Andalus (Iberian Peninsula) which what is now Spain and Portugal, and part of southern France. The religious difference of the Andalusian Muslims led to a centuries-long conflict with the Christian kingdoms of Europe like Kingdoms of Castile and Aragon called the Reconquista on the Andalusians. The Fall of Granada in 1492 saw the end of the Muslim rule in Iberia which lasted for 770 years.

Above Image: an Andalusian soldier

In the years of 1543-1569 Hayreddin Barbarossa and some numbers of Janissaries helped transporting 7,700 Andalusians from the beaches of Almeria and Alicante to Algerian coasts most of these Andalusians were from poor and middle classes from their financial status they were also peasants, material workers and merchants. The Andalusian refuges settled in cities which are located in Algerian coastlines like Oran, Tlemcen, Algiers, Bejaia, and Jijel.

Above Image: Expulsion of Andalusians

Descendants of Andalusian refugees in Algeria are also present in the population of Algiers and other cities. The French called them ‘Moors’ and whose culture and dialect clearly distinguished them from the populations of the countryside, constituted a large majority of the population of Algiers and other cities. Proud, urbane, and reputedly relaxed in moral sensibility, Moors dominated the commercial and culture of Algiers, Tlemcen, and some other towns. Continuing inputs of Christian converts or ‘renegades’ from around southern Europe adapted over time to Moorish culture, but in so doing they enriched Moorish culture, contributing to its widespread reputation for cosmopolitanism. The number of Algerians who has Andalusian ancestries is estimated to be 1, 3 million of the Algerian Population.