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# 4.2 The influence of Arabic on Spanish

Arabs ruled the Iberian Peninsula for a long period of nearly eight centuries (711–1492), and this period was full of cultural, scientific, literary and architectural achievements, some of which we are still witnessing until the present era.

Figure 2

The influence of Arabic on Spanish seems clear in many aspects, as some Spanish cities still retain their Arabic name to the present time, such as: Madrid مجريط and Valladolid بلد الوليد . In addition, Spanish uses a significant number of Arabic words - up to eight thousand.

## Activity 7

15 minutes

The following Spanish words are of Arabic origin. Look each word up in the dictionary and write them in Arabic.

1. Arroz
2. Albuhera
3. Hasta

### Answer

1. ١- أَرُز / Aroz

2. ٢- البُحَيْرة / Al-buḥayra

3. ٣- حَتّى / atta ḥ

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OpenLearn - Week 1: Introduction to the Arabic alphabet
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