Al-Andalus was 90% European, not the multicultural paradise we're sold

Al-Andalus: 90% of its population was European

When Al-Andalus is described as a multicultural paradise, the demographic data clash head-on with the myth. The most widely accepted historical estimates place the population of native origin —Hispano-Roman and Visigothic— at between 85% and 90% of the total. The Arabs, the ruling elite, made up barely 1% to 5%; the North African Berbers, between 5% and 10%. The rest were small minorities of Jews, Slavs and other groups. In other words, ethnically, Al-Andalus was an overwhelmingly European territory.

The real ethnic make-up of Al-Andalus

The Muslim conquest of 711 did not replace the population; it imposed a new elite on a demographic base that was virtually intact. Most inhabitants were converts to Sarracin (Muladis) or Christians (Mozarabs), all of European descent. The Arabs arrived in small numbers and concentrated in the centres of power; the Berbers settled mainly in rural areas. Genetic mixing was limited: ancient DNA studies confirm that the North African and Arab contribution to the Andalusi population was a minority one.

From myth to political use

It is paradoxical that the idealisation of Al-Andalus as a multicultural and tolerant society has been championed both by the pogre left and by Francoist and Falangist intellectuals. Authors such as Ignacio Olagüe and José María Pemán used the image of a superior Sarracinic civilisation to legitimise their own agendas, while today pogre sectors reclaim it as an example of coexistence. Both readings clash with the data: the reality was far more European than diverse.

In short, Al-Andalus was not a racial melting pot, but a predominantly European society with an Arab-Berber ruling minority. The narrative that presents it as a precedent for today's ethnically diverse Spain needs to take a second look at the figures.