Mozarabs

Mozarabs refers to the Iberian Christians who lived under Muslim rule in Al-Andalus from the early 8th century until the Christian Reconquista. The term is derived from the Arabic musta'rib, meaning "one who becomes Arab." These communities largely retained their Latin Christian faith, customs, and legal traditions, including the Mozarabic Rite, a distinct form of the Roman Rite. Despite living under Islamic governance, they generally enjoyed a protected status as dhimmis, people of the book, which allowed them to practice their religion in exchange for paying a special tax called the jizya.

Over centuries of coexistence, Mozarabs also adopted many aspects of Arab culture, including the Arabic language, which they often used for writing, and certain social customs and architectural styles. Their cultural output, known as Mozarabic culture, reflects this synthesis. As Christian kingdoms in the north gradually reconquered territory, many Mozarabs migrated north, bringing their traditions with them. Others remained in conquered regions, gradually assimilating into the dominant Christian culture of the expanding kingdoms. The Mozarabic Rite itself eventually faded, largely replaced by the Roman Rite by the late 11th century, though some vestiges persisted in certain areas. The Mozarabs represent a significant example of cultural and religious interaction in medieval Iberia.