The Moors were the medieval Muslim [1] inhabitants of Morocco, western Algeria, Western Sahara, Mauritania, the

Iberian Peninsula, Sicily, and Malta. The Moors invaded the Iberian Peninsula in 711 and called the territory Al-Andalus, an area which at different times comprised Gibraltar, most of Spainand Portugal, and parts of France. There was also a Moorish presence in what is now Southern Italy, primarily in Sicily. They occupied Mazara on Sicily in 827[2] and in 1224 were expelled to the settlement of Lucera, which was destroyed in 1300. The religious difference of the Moorish Muslims led to a centuries-long conflict with the Christian kingdoms of Europe called the Reconquista. The Fall of Granada in 1492 saw the end of the Muslim rule in Iberia.

Depiction of three Moorish knights found on Alhambra's Ladies Tower

Castillian ambassadors attempting to convince Moor Almohad king Abu Hafs Umar al-Murtada to join their alliance (contemporary depiction from The Cantigas de Santa Maria)

The term "Moors" has also been used in Europe in a broader sense to refer to Muslims,[3] especially those of Arab or African descent, whether living in Spain or North Africa. During the colonial years the Dutch introduced the name "Moor", in Sri Lanka. The Bengali Muslims were called Moor.[4] Moors are not a distinct or selfdefined people.[5] Medieval and early modern Europeans applied the name to the Berbers, North African Arabs, Muslim Iberians, and Sub-Saharan Africans.[6]

The Moors came from the North African country of Morocco and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to get into the Iberian Peninsula. The Moors of Al-Andalusof the late Medieval after the Umayyad conquest of Hispania in the early 8th century were initially Arabs and Ber