When people think about the Islamic conquest of Hispania, they usually imagine armies of Arabs pouring into the Iberian Peninsula from North Africa

The North Africans Were NOT Arab WHEN PEOPLE THINK ABOUT THE ISLAMIC CONQUEST OF HISPANIA, THEY USUALLY IMAGINE ARMIES OF ARABS POURING INTO THE IBERIAN PENINSULA FROM NORTH AFRICA AND RULING SPAIN FOR NEARLY 800 YEARS. BUT STRANGELY ENOUGH, MODERN SPANIARDS AND PORTUGUESE TODAY OFTEN HAVE LITTLE TO NO ARAB ANCESTRY WHATSOEVER. HOW IS THAT BECAUSE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE ENTERED HISPANIA IN 711 Weren't ACTUALLY ARABS Look at this Barbarian looking mf Tarik. AT ALL. THEY WERE IMAZIGHEN, MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS BERBERS, WHICH IS REALLY JUST ANOTHER WORD FOR BARBARIAN. THE IMAZIGHEN ARE THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES STRETCHING ACROSS WHAT IS MODERN DAY MOROCCO, ALGERIA, TUNISIA, AND LIBYA. IBEROMAUROUSIAN HUNTER GATHERERS THEY DESCEND PRIMARILY IBEROMAUROUSIAN HUNTER GATHERERS NATIVE TO NORTH AFRICA, ALONG WITH THE EARLY EUROPEAN FARMERS WHO CROSSED INTO THE MAGREB THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. THESE BERBERS INDEED SHARED MANY SIMILARITIES A lot of blonde and red hair going on here TO THE EUROPEAN BARBARIANS. AND WHEN READING EGYPTIAN DESCRIPTIONS ABOUT THEM, LIKE THEIR LIGHTER SKIN, THEIR TATTOOS, THEIR UNCIVILISED PASTORAL LIFESTYLE AND WARRIOR CULTURE, REALLY KNOW WHICH BARBARIANS THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. OVER THE CENTURIES, THESE POPULATIONS ADOPTED FURTHER GENETIC INFLUENCE FROM ROMANS, CARTHAGINIANS, PHOENICIANS, AND EVEN GERMANIC PEOPLES LIKE THE VANDALS, THE GERMANIC KINGDOM OF NORTH AFRICA AFRICA FOR OVER 100 YEARS. SO LONG BEFORE THE ISLAMIC CONQUEST, MANY AMAZIGH TRIBES HAD ALREADY LIVED UNDER ROMAN AND GERMANIC RULE, EVEN CONVERTED TO CHRISTIANITY. ARAB CONQUEST OF THE SEVENTH CENTURY, MUCH OF NORTH AFRICA GRADUALLY CAME UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE UMAYYAD CALIPHATE AND MANY AMAZIGH WARRIORS CONVERTED TO ISLAM AND WERE INCORPORATED INTO THE MUSLIM ARMIES. WHEN THE BERBER GENERAL TARIK IBN ZIYAD CROSSED INTO HISPANIA IN 711, HISTORIANS ESTIMATE THAT ROUGHLY 75 TO 90% OF HIS ENTIRE ARMY WAS AMAZIGH, WHILE THE ARABS THEMSELVES LARGELY SERVED AS THE POLITICAL AND MILITARY ELITE. LATER, THESE DIFFERENT PEOPLES, ARABS, AND EVEN LOCAL HISPANIC CONVERTS TO ISLAM WERE ALL BROADLY REFERRED TO AS MOORS, WHICH BLURRED THE AND CREATED THE CONFUSION THAT STILL EXISTS TO THIS DAY. AND THAT IS SPANIARDS AND PORTUGUESE CAN INHERIT A NOTICEABLE AMOUNT OF NORTH AFRICAN ANCESTRY WHILE HAVING LITTLE OR NO DETECTABLE PURELY ARAB ANCESTRY. BUT IF YOU'D MORE ABOUT WHO AND HOW THEY ENTERED HISPANIA, WHAT THE ISLAMIC WORLD OF AL ANDALUS WAS REALLY LIKE, SPAIN FALLS I HAVE JUST FALL-OF-VISIGOTHIC-HISPANIA THE Reconquista BEGINS: The Fall of Visigothic Spain AND THE ISLAMIC CONQUESTS ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL. Live now @JonasKilker on YouTube