Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Enter Islam
In AD 827, the Saracen army landed at Mazara del Vallo. Palermo fell in 831, followed by
Syracuse in 878. Under the Arabs, churches were converted to mosques and Arabic was
made the common language. At the same time, much-needed land reforms were introduced
and trade, agriculture and mining were fostered. New crops were introduced, including cit-
rus trees, date palms and sugar cane, and a system of water supply and irrigation was deve-
loped.
Palermo became the capital of the new emirate and, over the next 200 years, it became
one of the most splendid cities in the Arab world, a haven of culture and commerce rivalled
only by Córdoba in Spain.
