On a drive from Valencia to Alicante, I noticed a striking pattern — many place names sounded Arabic. I drove past towns called 'Alfafar', 'Algemensi', 'Alcàsser', and 'Alzira'. That’s no coincidence: Alicante, for example, stems from al-Laqant, a name dating back to the Al-Andalus period when Arabic was the lingua franca across much of Spain.
That influence is still visible in public spaces. As I entered Alicante, I noticed road signs not just in Spanish and English, but also in Arabic. One sign read: 'Gran Via – Town Centre – وسط البلد'.
The history behind this visibility stretches back centuries. For nearly 800 years, much of Spain was under Muslim rule, from 711 to 1492, and the dominant language during this time was Classical Arabic. Arabic literature, culture, science and architecture flourished during this period.
Some of that influence remains in the language spoken today. Words like ojalá (from insha’allah) and forn (from furn, meaning oven) still pepper local dialects. But today, the visibility of Arabic goes beyond etymology — it’s appearing on street signs, in school curricula and even in local rap music.
Huda, for example — also known as Miss Raisa — is a Barcelona-based rapper of Moroccan origin who raps in Spanish, Catalan and Arabic. She uses Arabic to highlight multiculturalism in modern Spain and to challenge stereotypes about Arabs and Muslims, particularly women.
The use of Arabic is also growing in everyday life. Centuries after Al-Andalus, Arabic is re-emerging in public and private life — partly due to immigration from Morocco, Algeria and other Arabic-speaking countries.
This trend has been noted by cultural institutions.
“Spanish citizens of Arab origin are becoming increasingly active and visible in all spheres of society, participating in the cultural sphere as well as the economic and social life, with very positive developments,” said Miguel Moro Aguilar, director-general of the Spanish-Arab cultural institute Casa Árabe, in an interview with The New Arab.
Recent data provides context. According to the 2021 census, Arabic is the first language for 1,001,792 people in Spain, accounting for 2.17% of the population. Many more speak the language as a second or third language, and the increased visibility has sparked a newfound interest in learning Arabic for non-native speakers.
Shared cultural understanding
Arabic linguist, literary critic and poet Fernando Andú Resano weighed in on the topic, telling The New Arab: “I believe that the phenomenon of migration — specifically North African migration in Spain — will inevitably lead to the development of a shared cultural understanding that softens rigid territorial identities.”
One area where this is being explored is education.
“Arabic is a language of Spain,” Más Madrid representative Jimena González claimed in the Madrid Assembly last month as she defended the rollout of the Arabic Language and Moroccan Culture Teaching Plan.
“Not even Isabella the Catholic managed to erase it,” she also noted.
The plan is part of an existing framework. The Arabic Language and Moroccan Culture Teaching Plan in Spain is a long-standing educational programme sponsored by Morocco and supported by Spain to teach Arabic and Moroccan culture to children of Moroccan descent.
Other versions of the programme are also in place. Similar programmes are taught across Spain to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps, particularly in Andalusia, Catalonia and Madrid.
Supporters argue they promote cultural identity and multilingualism, but critics say they exacerbate integration challenges and erode traditional values.
Outside official programmes, many non-native speakers are studying Arabic across Spain due to cultural interest and economic factors.
“We have indeed observed a growing interest in learning the Arabic language and knowing more about the Arab culture, from the broader public but also institutions and companies,” Miguel commented.
In saying this, Miguel noted that Spain’s geographic proximity to North Africa, along with its economic ties to the Arab world, has led to an increase in Arabic courses for business, diplomacy, and international relations.
“We have to consider also that there has been an important increase in economic and commercial relations with North Africa and the Gulf countries,” said Miguel.
That being said, Spanish firms like Acciona and Sacyr have participated in major infrastructure projects in the Gulf. Spain also recorded twice as many tourists from Gulf countries in 2024 compared to pre-pandemic levels, with 515,000 visitors arriving last year.
From azafrán to alcázar
Interestingly, linguists from Spain’s Real Academia Española acknowledge that over 4,000 Spanish words come from Arabic, representing around 8% of the Spanish vocabulary today.
Latin remains the foundation of Spanish, but Arabic has left a lasting and distinct mark, especially in areas like science, agriculture, and daily life — reflecting the cultural exchange during the Al-Andalus period.
Many of these terms are still used today. Areas of vocabulary with strong Arabic influence include agriculture: aceituna (olive), azafrán (saffron); science/math: álgebra, cero; architecture: alcázar (fortress), alminar (minaret); everyday objects: almohada (pillow), azúcar (sugar); and toponyms (place names): Guadalquivir, Almería, Gibraltar.
Luisa Arvide, professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies at the University of Almería, argued that recent Arabic influence on the Spanish language is limited because most migrants are Maghrebi and speak their own dialect, Darja, which is quite different from Modern Standard Arabic (Fusha). Others speak Amazigh, French, or Spanish.
“They (Spanish citizens of Arab-origin) have little influence on Spanish, while, on the contrary, the influence of Arabic on the Spanish language was evident in Al-Andalus, and the greatest loanwords must be sought from the Middle Ages onwards,” Luisa told The New Arab.
While the etymological impact may be limited today, there are clear signs that the Arabic language has a place in contemporary Spain.
This includes public signage in specific regions. Arabic signage, particularly road signs, is visible in certain areas of Spain, especially in Andalusia and along routes frequently used by migrants from North Africa. This is often due to the historical presence of Islamic rule in the region and the ongoing migration of people from North Africa who frequently return to their homelands.
“Both languages and cultures — Spanish and Arabic, Hispanic and Arab-Islamic — will need to seek each other out and find ways to coexist as harmoniously as possible, through understanding one another and recognising both their shared aspects,” Fernando commented.
In popular culture
At present, the interaction that Fernando speaks of is taking shape in the arts, where Spanish citizens of Arab origin are reconnecting with their linguistic and cultural roots by incorporating Arabic into their artistic expressions.
In Miss Raisa’s song Déjalo, she uses the Arabic phrase “Dik el anwa3 de nasai7” (ديك الأنواع من النصائح), which translates to “those types of advice.”
This phrase is repeated in the chorus to reject unsolicited judgments about her music and appearance, as the song addresses criticisms she faces as a Muslim woman wearing a hijab and challenges societal expectations.
Writers, filmmakers and visual artists are doing the same.
Miguel explained that many Arab-Spanish artists are leaving an impact in the cultural sphere, such as writers Abdel Hadi Sadoun, Youssef El Maimouni, Najat El Hachmi, Nadia Hafid and Ebbaba Hameida; actors and actresses Mina El Hammani, Ibrahim Al Shami, Samy Khalil and Ibrahim Ibnou Goush; musicians and singers Hames Bitar, Yacine Belahcene and Linda Alahmad; filmmakers Laila and Nadia Hotait; and painters like the Iraqi Hanoos Hanoos.
Some Spanish artists have also taken an interest in the Arabic literary tradition. Even for Spanish writers like Fernando, the influence of traditional Al-Andalus-era Arabic continues to inspire their works.
“As for the influence of Arabic poetry on my lyrical work, in my latest book of poems, News of Abu Alaa, I’ve given a poetic voice to one of the greatest creators of the classical era of Arab-Islamic civilisation, Abu al-Ala al-Ma’arri,” he shared.
Looking at Spain today, its Arab-Muslim legacy is no longer a closed chapter, but rather a living influence.
Lara Gibson is a Cairo-based journalist closely following Egypt's economic and political developments.
Follow her on X: @lar_gibson