Economy

To enable its survival, the Emirate had to make an important effort to increase the sources of agricultural and mercantile wealth by maximizing the use of irrigation techniques by means of a thorough regulation of the use and distribution of water in the plains and granadinas. , They provided an abundance of horticultural and fruit products for both the domestic and foreign markets, offsetting the deficit in cereals of the emirate which they sometimes had to import. The economy was complemented by cattle ranching in mountainous areas, coastal fishing, southeastern mining resources, as well as ceramics and, above all, the silk textile handicraft, the basis of urban economic life and foreign trade.

One of the basic elements of Granada's economy was commerce. Christian control of the Strait of Gibraltar from the Battle of Salado (1340) and the conquest of Algeciras (1344) cut the Kingdom of Granada to military aid from North Africa, but also stimulated a trade between Atlantic Europe and the Mediterranean Of which the Nazaries benefited enormously.

Its ports became basic scales for merchants, while its products were opened to other markets: Catalans and, especially Genoveses, established consulates in Malaga, Almeria, Adra or Almuñécar, the main ports of the Kingdom. Trade with the Maghreb and North Africa was of great importance, followed by commercial networks with the Crown of Aragon: Catalonia, Valencia and Mallorca.

Castilian control of the Strait of Gibraltar revalued the value of Granadian products, especially silk, sugar, nuts and anchovetas. From then on the trade with the Crown of Castile, especially with Seville, acquired great importance. The export of silk, which had its main centers in Granada, Malaga, Vélez-Málaga or Ronda, became one of the main products of manufacture, and its importance was such that the Catholic Monarchs would establish after 1492 the so-called "Rent" Of the silk of Granada ".

Commercial exchanges were also carried out along the land border of Granada, often carried out illegally.