Ancient Muslim Cemetery Unearthed in Spain, Rewrites Islamic History

Covering an area of more than 2 hectares, this Muslim cemetery had been used between the 8th and 11th centuries, the local press reports, noting that this discovery challenges past beliefs about the presence of Muslim colonies in the region, since this cemetery is the oldest of the Islamic era and the best preserved in the country. This proves that the Muslim population of this region was larger than previously thought.

The director of the Anthropological Observatory of the Islamic Necropolis of Tauste, Miriam Pina Pardos, stated that even before the discovery of the cemetery, clues found in the region suggest that a large Muslim population had previously lived there. Even for more than four centuries, according to one of the archaeologists present during the excavations.

To recall, following the conquest of the Iberian Peninsula in 711 AD, the Muslims named it Al Andalus, from Morocco. This territory was reconquered by the Christians in 1492. The archaeological society in charge of the site’s excavations says that the human remains will be removed in less than a month, stressing that the majority of the remains were well-preserved.