Tariq Ibn Ziyad and Islamic Conquest of Spain

• Tariq Ibn Ziyad led a group of soldiers to spread the message of Allah.
• He told his army to fight for their cause, stating that they must be victorious or martyred without a third option.
• According to Tariq, escape was not an option for his soliders.

Setting the Stage

• Tariq Ibn Ziyad led a small army from Morocco in 711 AD and landed on a high rock called Jabal-Al-Tariq (Gibraltar) in Spain, named after him.
• He ordered the burning of all his boats after crossing into Spain by sea.
• His command was immediately obeyed.
• His core principles were total faith in Allah and a strong resolve to fight for a worthy cause.

Andalusia in History

• Complex societies and agriculture emerged in Andalusia around 4000 BCE.
• The Phoenicians established the Gadir coastal colony (now Cádiz) in the 9th century BCE.
• By the 5th century BCE, Carthaginians and Greeks colonized the coast.
• The interior native Iberian peoples were developing an urban culture.
• The Romans, under Scipio Africanus, conquered Andalusia between 210 and 206 BCE and the region became the Roman province of Baetica.
• Andalusia became the birthplace of emperors Trajan and Hadrian and the writers Lucan and Seneca while flourishing under Roman rule.
• The Arabic name Al-Andalus was used to refer to the entire Iberian Peninsula by the Muslims (Moors).
• Al-Andalus likely translates to "Country of the Vandals." In the 11th century, Al-Andalus, or Andalusia, meant only the area still under Muslim control when the Christians began to reconquer the peninsula.
• This area became permanently attached to the modern-day region.
• Following the Muslim conquest, Andalusia became part of the Umayyad caliphate of Cordoba founded by Abd Al-Rahman III in 929.
• After the unified Spanish Muslim state broke up in the early 11th century, Andalusia was divided into small kingdoms, or taifas, the largest of which were Málaga, Sevilla, and Córdoba.
• These principalities fought between themselves and were falling to Christian forces from León and Castile in the 11th century, when the Berber Almoravids from North Africa reinvaded.
• The Almoravids established centralized Muslim rule in Spain from about 1086 to 1147.
• Another group of Muslim invaders from North Africa, the Almohads, then ruled over Andalusia from about 1147 to 1212.

Andalusia's Golden Age

• Scholars view the Moorish period as Andalusia's golden age due to its economic prosperity and cultural achievements.
• Agriculture, mining, and industry flourished, as did commerce with North Africa and the Levant.
• The Arabs introduced sugarcane, almonds, and apricots, and much of the region's irrigation system dates from this time.
• A vibrant civilization arose out of the intermingling of Spanish Christians, Berber and Arab Muslims, and Jews under the relatively tolerant Muslim emirs.
• The cities of Córdoba, Sevilla, and Granada became celebrated centers of Muslim architecture, science, and learning during a time when Europe was still emerging from the Dark Ages.
• The Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba and the fortress-palace of the Alhambra in Granada were built during this period
• Averroës, the great Spanish Muslim philosopher, was perhaps its leading intellectual figure.

Fall of Muslim Andalusia

• The Almodas' power in southern Spain disintegrated after their defeat by Christian armies led by King Alfonso VIII of Castile at the Battle of Las Navas de Tolosa in 1212.
• By 1251 Ferdinand III of Castile had already reconquered all of Andalusia except the Muslim kingdom of Granada.
• Granada survived until it was captured in 1492 by Ferdinand and Isabella.
• Andalusia was merged into the Christian kingdom of Castile.
• Andalusia prospered after the Reconquest because the ports of Cádiz and Sevilla became gateways for wealth from the Americas flowing into Spain.
• The expulsion of the Moriscos (Christianized Muslims) from Spain in 1609 helped cause an economic decline.
• In the 18th century, Seville and Cádiz lost their trading monopolies, that decline accelerated.
• Gibraltar was formally ceded to the British in 1713.
• In 1833, Andalusia was divided into its eight present-day provinces.

From Slavery to Power

• A Berber general led the Muslim conquest of Spain.
• Tariq ibn Ziyad was a new convert to Islam from the Berber tribe of Algeria and was said to have been a freed slave.
• Islam gave high status to slaves.
• Salman Farsi, Bilal Ibn Rabah, and Zaid Ibn Harithah were slaves before being freed during the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
• Salman Farsi was appointed Governer of Madayen.
• Bilal was known for calling people to their prayers with a beautiful voice.
• Zaid led a force during the Battle of Mauta.
• The Mamluks (slaves) ruled Egypt and Qutubuddin Aibak established his dynasty in India and ruled for centuries.

The beginning

• Tariq bin Ziyad may have belonged to the Ash-Shadaf Berber tribe from North Africa.
• Historian Ibn Idhari states that he was from the Ulhasa tribe.
• Ibn Khaldun states that the Ulhasa tribe resided on both sides of the Tafna River in Tlemcen, Algeria.
• Tariq Ibn Ziyad is considered to be a key military commander in Iberian history.
• He had a dream in which Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) said to him: "Take courage, O Tariq! And accomplish what you are destined to perform."
• Tariq awoke smiling and never doubted his victory.
• He led a small force from Morocco in 711 AD and landed on the high rock which is called Jabal-Al-Tariq (Gibraltar) after his name in Spain.

A Commander's Power and the Spanish Defeat

• In 711 A.D., Spain was under Visigothic rule but experiencing civil war.

• The sons of the recently deceased Visigothic king of Spain, Witiza, asked the Muslims for help in the civil war.

• An army of Arabs and Berber converts to Islam, landed at Gibraltar.

• They responded by seeking to conquer Spain for themselves.

• King Roderic of Spain gathered a large army against the Muslims.

• Tariq then received calvarymen reinforcements under the command of Tarif bin Malik Naqi (after whom Tarifa is named in Spain).

• Tariq bin Ziyad ordered the ships to be burned given the large numbers of the enemy, then delivered a historic address to the Mujahedeen

• "Burn your boats," said Tariq Ibn Ziyad after entering Spain by sea in 711 A.D.

• Tariq's army met the opponents at the battlefield of Guadalete where King Roderic was killed.

• After the Spanish army retreated toward Toledo, Tariq bin Ziyad divided his troops and one regiment advanced toward Cordoba and controlled it, the second captured Murcia, and the third advanced toward Saragossa.

• Tariq himself moved swiftly toward Toledo and the city surrendered without resistance.

• Commander Musa Ibn Nusair rushed to Spain with another large force.

• The two generals occupied more than two-thirds of the Iberian Peninsula in a rapid sequence, Saragossa, Barcelona, and Portugal fell one after another.

• Later, they crossed the Pyrenees and Lyons in France was occupied.

• Spain remained under Muslim rule for over 750 years, from 711 to 1492.

• Tariq's expeditioin holds an important place in the medieval military records of the world.

Muslims Rule Spain

• Muslim rule had numerous advantages for local residents because no properties or estates were confiscated.
• The Muslims introduced an intelligent system of taxation, which soon brought prosperity to the peninsula.
• Christians had their own judges to settle their disputes.
• All communities were given opportunities for public services.
• The Jews and the peasants in Spain received the Muslim armies with open arms.
• Serfdoms were abolished, fair wages were instituted, and taxes were reduced.
• Anyone who accepted Islam was freed from slavery.
• The Jewish and Christian religious minorities received the protection of the state and were allowed participation at the highest levels of government.
• Spain became a center of art, science, and culture for Europe.
• Mosques, palaces, gardens, hospitals, and libraries were built; canals were repaired and the Muslims brought new crops.
• Andalus, as Spain was called by Muslims, became the granary of the West, where manufacturing was encouraged and the silk work prospered.

Tariq Ibn Ziyad Dies

• In the 10th century, Cordoba became the leading European city and had over one million inhabitants, due to the Muslim governance.
• According to a Christian historian,. "The Moors (Muslims) organized that wonderful kingdom of Cordova....alone held the torch of learning and civilization bright and shining before the Western world.".
• Caliph Walid bin Abdul Malik invited Musa bin Nusair and Tariq bin Ziyad to Damascus.
• The caliph honored them lavishly, but passed away soon.
• Caliph Sulaiman then turned against the two commanders and deprived them of all facilities.
• Tariq died in Damascus in secrecy (720).

Tariq Ibn Ziyad led an army from Morocco to Spain in 711 AD, landing at Gibraltar. He burned his boats to show resolve. Andalusia's history includes Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman colonization.