J - 50 : Green Banner or Prosciutto di Parma

Borgo Vecchio in Amantea - the Wall to the Left was built by the Muslim Rulers

Tourists visiting Spain learn during their holidays that the country was once ruled by Muslims. The cathedrals in Cordoba and Seville and the Alhambra Palace in Grenada are living testimony. The Muslim rulers stayed long enough – for centuries actually – to influence the country’s architecture. Few visitors to Calabria though know that Muslims ruled here for a few decades as well. There were three emirates in Calabria: Amantea, Santa Severina and Tropea. A few remnants are still present – but you have to know where to look

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The former Emirate of Amantea with the Arab Fortress Borgo Vecchio on the Hill

The Mediterranean in the 8^th and 9^th century was a hotly contested place. Arabs who for centuries had fought as mercenaries for Rome rolled up the Byzantine Empire exhausted from its long wars with Persia.  At Yarmouk in 636 AD, they routed the imperial army. After the defeat organized resistance collapsed. There were no forces left between the advancing Arabs and the Mediterranean. A few hundred cavalry could conquer entire provinces. Densely populated Egypt, Byzantium’s bread basket, fell to less than 4’000 Arab horse men.

Arab Cavalry pursuing fleeing Byzantine Troops

The quick collapse of Byzantine rule was also the result of the confusion over who the Arabs were. Many local leaders believed that they were just another Christians sect. Early Muslim rulers indeed used Christian symbols like the cross. We find them on their coins and buildings. The Koran as we know it was not canonized before the 9^th century, Muslims leaders aimed for the entire Roman Empire. They wanted Constantinople and Rome where the wealth was. The Arabs were few in numbers. Maybe a few ten thousands.  In the absence of any organised opposition though, this mattered little.

Major Arab Campaigns in the 7th Century AD - they attacked both Constantinople & Rome

Small Arab raiding parties, a few hundred soldiers strong, established early presence in France, Corsica, Sardinia and Calabria. Byzantium had called its forces back to defend the capital, Constantinople. The locals had to fend for themselves. Thanks to the people of Amalfi they had ships to break Muslim naval supremacy. The Pope had the money for an alliance with Charlemagne. He crowned him Emperor in 800 AD and gave him Corsica – a gift the new Emperor had to fight for. There were many Muslim raiders on the island.

Arab - Byzantine Wars in the Mediterranean from the 7th to the 9th Century AD

Repulsing the Muslim advance in the west was a close call. Had Charlemagne not supported the Pope, they might well have conquered the undefended Italian peninsula. Imagine the consequences – the Pope would have become a local patriarch as his equivalent in Istanbul under Ottoman Turks. Also, would the world ever have tasted Prosciuto di Parma or Super Tuscan Red wines? Both items banned by the Koran.

Borgo Antico di Amantea just below the old Byzantine-Arab-Norman Castle. We will stop here during our second Week of Sailing

Back to Amantea in Calabria. Its historic center still preserves the street grid of the old Arab Qashba which once stood here. The many inner court yards reflect the design of the former Muslim homes. The name Amantea derives from its Muslim past. Conquered in 839, the new rulers called it al-Mantiah (the fortress). An the site of the mosque now stands the Church of San Francesco. Rice, sugarcane and egg plants are another legacy the Arabs left behind in Amantea. By 889 AD, the town was back in Byzantine hands. In 1059 it became a Norman stronghold.

The Castello di Santa Severina is Calabria's best preserved Norman Fortress. Built on the Foundations of an old Byzantine Kastros, it was an Arab Fortress from 840 to 886 AD.

Santa Severina was another Arab emirate - located a few miles inland from Crotone on Calabria's eastern side. We visited Crotone in 2021. Norman architecture now dominates Santa Severina. After the Normans expelled the Arabs, they fortified the town even further to protect Crotone, the important coastal town and harbour. Tourism officals today call Santa Severina one of Italy's most beautiful villages.

An Arab Fort once crowned the Rock of Tropea - today it is the site of a 19th Century Villa

built in Moorish Style

Tropea on Calabria's west coast shares this description. But except for the ancient street grid, no Arab legacy is left. One has to imagine how the Arab emirate here once looked. The town is now a lovely tourist destination. We stopped here in 2021 to change crews. This year though we sail from the Aeolian Islands directly to Amantea.