A member of a Muslim people of mixed Berber and Arab descent, inhabiting north-west Africa and southern Spain from the 8th to the 15th centuries. Their name is derived from a Greek word (Mauros) for the inhabitants of ancient Mauretania. The Moorish period in Spain was the zenith of Islamic culture, especially in architecture. The Alhambra (in Granada) and the Great Mosque (in Cordoba) are among their most celebrated creations.