An Islamic Civilization in Europe: Andalusia – 7
■ Ibrahim Sediyani
– continued from last chapter –
II.
CONQUEST OF ANDALUSIA
■ WHY WAS ANDALUSIA CONQUERED AND HOW WAS IT CONQUERED?
The conquest of Andalusia (the lands of today’s Spain) by Muslims in 711 is one of the most important events in Islamic history, European history and world history. It started a new era in the political and social climate of the world and its lasting effects are still continuing.
However, when telling the story of the conquest of Andalusia, which was and still is the westernmost point of the Islamic expansion process, it is necessary to start not from the geography in question itself, but on the opposite side, from the lands of Kurdistan and Iran, which the easternmost points of the Islamic expansion process at that time were.
This story begins in the city of Hamadan in eastern Kurdistan and western Iran. It begins where the story of the famous commander Tariq ibn Ziyad al- Layti (670 – 720), the conqueror of Andalusia, began.
As we have explained in detail and with historical sources in the previous chapters of this book, the capture of Iran by the Arab Islamic armies and its “Muslimization” is a process that began with the Battle of Qadisiyyah in 636 AD during the reign of the 2nd Caliph Omar ibn Khattab (583 – 644) (391), and the conquest of Andalusia in the far west is actually a result of that process. Hamadan was left to the Arab Islamic Caliphate in accordance with the peace treaty signed here after the Battle of Nahavand in 642, six years after the Battle of Qadisiyyah. However, when the people of Hamadan rebelled and expelled the Arabs from the city, it was recaptured by Djarir ibn Abdullah ibn Djabir al-Badjali (633 – 71) in 645, this time through war. (392)
After these tragic events, hundreds of families from Hamedan and other cities in the region were made slaves and concubines by Arab Islamic forces and taken to the Arabian Peninsula and North Africa. One of these is Tariq ibn Ziyad’s parents and family. (393)
Year, 645.
Tariq ibn Ziyad’s parents, a Zoroastrian Kurdish couple whose names are unknown, were enslaved and taken from Hamadan to Algeria. This family later joined the staff of Abu Abdurrahman Musa ibn Nusayr ibn Abdurrahman Zayd al-Bakri al-Lakhmi (640 – 716), the Umayyad’s North African Governor, in Algeria, and became his slaves.
Exactly 25 years after this tragic event, that is, only 25 years after his parents were taken from Hamadan to Algeria, Tariq was born.
Year, 670.
Tariq ibn Ziyad, born in Algeria, was born and raised among Berbers, despite being a Kurd, he was raised as a Berber.
His parents were not Muslims, they were Zoroastrians. He was not a Muslim at first, but lived as a Zoroastrian until a certain period of his life. He later became a Muslim and after becoming a Muslim, he was set free by Musa ibn Nusayr.
We have explained this entire historical process in detail and with all historical sources and documents in the previous chapters of this book. (394)
While these were happening in the lands to the east of the geography where Islam was born (Kurdistan, Iran, Caucasus), a similar but more tragic process was happening in the lands to the west of the geography where Islam was born (Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco). During the same period, the same Islamic armies were trying to “Muslimize” and even “Arabize” the Berber nation living in North Africa in the west by force and oppression.
The first relations between Berbers and Muslims began during the reign of the 2nd Caliph Omar ibn Khattab. In 639, Amr ibn As ibn Wail as-Sahmi (573 – 664) invaded Egypt with an army of 4000 Muslims and the richest province of Byzantium was conquered within three years. In 641, Muslim troops captured Egypt and conquered Libya the following year. Amr bin As, the conqueror of Egypt, sent a force to Berka in August 642. This force first followed the coast, then turned south and advanced as far as Fezzan, from there it went northwest and reached Djabal-i Nafousa. (395)
Arab military campaigns were first initiated by local rulers in Egypt and continued unorganized for years. During the reign of 3rd Caliph Uthman bin Affan (576 – 656), North Africa left itself at the mercy of major Arab invasions from 647 onwards. Arab pirate raids at that time extended from Rhodes Island to the southern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. (396) Muslims seriously struggled against the Berbers during the caliphate of the 3rd Caliph Uthman bin Affan. Muslims expanded into present-day Tunisia in 647, during the reign of Caliph Uthman. The next occupation of the Maghreb began in 647 by the order of Abdollah bin Saad bin Ab Sarh al-Qorayshi al-Amiri (? – 657), Caliph Uthman’s foster brother, who was appointed governor of Egypt after the dismissal of Amr bin As. 20,000 soldiers marched from Medina on the Arabian Peninsula to North Africa, with another group joining them in Memphis, Egypt, where Abdollah bin Saad led them to Byzantine Africa. (397)
The Arabs, who started to invade and take over the North African lands, started to “Arabize” this geography in the name of “Religion”, destroy its demography and implement assimilation policies without wasting any time. After capturing these regions of Tunisia and establishing the city of Kairouan, the Arab population brought from the east was settled in this city. (398)
The Berber kingdoms were eventually suppressed and eliminated by Arab invasions in the 7th and 8th centuries. This began the process of cultural and linguistic assimilation known as “Arabization” that affected the Berber population. “Arabization” involved the spread of the Arabic language and Arab culture among the Berbers; This led to the adoption of Arabic as the “native language” and the conversion to Islam. Arab migrations to the Maghreb, especially from the 7th century to the 17th century, accelerated this process. (399)
By 711, Umayyad forces, aided by the Berber conversion to Islam, had conquered all of North Africa. The spread of Islam among the Berbers did not guarantee their support for the Arab-dominated Islamic Caliphate, due to the racist and discriminatory attitude of the Muslim Arabs. The ruling Arabs alienated the Berbers from their true self by imposing heavy taxes on them, treating their converts as second-class Muslims, and worst of all, by enslaving them. (400)
We have also explained this entire historical process in detail and with all historical sources and documents in the previous chapters of this book. (401)
The Islamic expansion movement, which began shortly after the birth of Islam, or rather after the death of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad, aimed not only to “Muslimize” but also to “Arabize” the lands it occupied. “Muslimization” was successful in Kurdistan and Iran to the east of this expansion movement, but “Arabization” was not. Because the Muslim Arab armies encountered a deep-rooted and strong Kurdish and Aryan culture in these ancient lands, which were the cradle of civilizations. They could not destroy the Kurdish language and could not assimilate the ancient Kurdish culture.
In fact, the forces before the Arab Islamic armies could not achieve this either, and neither could those who came after. I am not saying this to “be nationalistic”, I should state it as a fact that Kurdish is a very rich language and Kurdish culture has very solid and strong roots. Neither the previous ones, the Assyrians, Byzantines and Macedonians, nor the later ones, the Mongols, Ottomans, Safavids and today’s states of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria, were able to destroy this and assimilate the Kurds. Despite the fact that they have been trying for this for thousands of years and are still systematically implementing this policy with their powers such as the state, army and schools, they could not succeed in assimilating the Kurds and eradicating the Kurdish language.
This truth is historically and geographically obvious. If you pay attention, all the geographies where Islam expanded to the south and west and became Muslim were also “Arabized”. However, those places were not Arab before Islam. However, the lands where Islam expanded to the north and east were only “Muslimized” but not “Arabized”. The reason for this is that the “Arabization” policy of the Islamic expansion movement hit the strong wall of Kurdish culture.
However, in North Africa, to the west of this expansion movement, not only “Muslimization” but also “Arabization” was successful.
This is not actually the main subject of the article you are currently reading and perhaps we need to examine and write it as an independent study, it should be written. Let us continue with our main topic…
At such a time and in such turmoil, Tariq ibn Ziyad, a Zoroastrian Kurd whose parents were brought to Algeria as slaves from the city of Hamadan in Kurdistan, was born in Algeria in 670.
Tariq ibn Ziyad is not the child of a Muslim family. In fact, he himself was not a Muslim until a certain period of his life. Tariq ibn Ziyad, born in Algeria, was born and raised among Berbers, despite being a Kurd, he was raised as a Berber. His parents were not Muslims, they were Zoroastrians. He was not a Muslim at first, but lived as a Zoroastrian until a certain period of his life. He later became a Muslim and after becoming a Muslim, he was set free by Musa ibn Nusayr. (402)
So what was the state of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) at that time, what kind of political and social process was it going through? In order to better understand the conquest of Andalusia, it is necessary to seriously examine and study it.
First of all, it should be noted that the Muslims took Iberia from the Visigoths, who had ruled there for nearly three hundred years. (403) By the time of the conquest, the Visigothic upper class was fragmenting, with many problems of succession and maintaining power. This was partly because Visigoths were only 1 – 2% of the population; making it difficult to maintain control over the rebellious population. (404)
The ruler of the Visigoths at that time was King Rodrigo (? – 711) (405), but the manner of his accession to the throne unclear is. There are accounts of a falling out with his predecessor, Wittiza (687 – 710)’s son Aguila II (? – 714). Kingdom lists that mention Aguila but not Rodrigo are consistent with civil war narratives of the period. (406) Numismatic evidence shows a division of royal authority, with several different currencies being minted, with Aguila II remaining “King of Tarraconsense and Septimania” until ca. 713. (407) The nearly contemporary “Chronicle of 754” portrays Rodrigo as having usurped the throne and winning the alliance of other Goths by deception, while the less reliable late 9th-century “Chronicle of Alfonso III” describes Rodrigo as bishop of Seville and possibly Wittiza’s brother and it shows clear hostility towards Oppa (? – ?) and contains an unusually heroic dialogue with Pelagius (? – ?). (408)
There is also the story of Count Julian (? – ?) of Septe, whose wife or daughter was raped by Rodrigo and sought help from Tangier in Morocco. (409) However, these stories are not included in the early records of the conquest. (410)
The specific reason for the invasion of the Iberian Peninsula by the Arabs is unclear due to a lack of sources, as is the exact course of the conquest, which lasted several years. Essentially, only late and biased sources exist regarding Christian and Muslim historiography. It is possible that these “moves of conquest” were initially merely plundering raids, and only when the advance into the Pyrenees Peninsula initially proved relatively easy did Muslim commanders decide to conquer it permanently and subsequently establish a state. (411)
In any case, the weakening of the Visigoths due to internal power struggles between the various royal clans and the factionalized aristocracy made it easier for invaders to dismantle their empire. Conflicts between the Visigoth King Rodrigo, who came to power in 710, and the family of his predecessor, Wittiza, who contested his rights to the throne, may have been known by Muslims. It is even said by later incredible sources that Muslims were summoned to the country by Byzantine Count Julian of Septe or by supporters of the defeated Wittiza family. (412)
At this very point, I would like to ask you, our dear readers, a question: Why was Andalusia conquered? Indeed, why did Muslims embark on such a conquest?
According to what is written in official Islamic history and what is told to us in schools, mosques and religious conversations, the aim was to spread the religion of Islam to Europe. In other words, it was a campaign for “Ilā-yi Kalimatollah”. According to what the Christian Western propaganda apparatus says, “Muslims are already barbarians” and this was a kind of plunder and occupation movement.
However, both are theo-ideological approaches and do not reflect the truth. Both approaches are wrong. “Spreading Islam to Europe” may be the political-ideological color of this conquest movement or it may have acquired this color later, but the real purpose of this conquest movement is completely different.
I will now tell you the real reasons behind the “Conquest of Andalusia”, one of the most important events in world history and the beginning of a new era on earth. But you will be very, very surprised, let me state this in advance and warn you.
Are you ready to hear and learn the real reasons behind the conquest of Andalusia, which are not told anywhere else and which you have never heard before?
If you are ready, let’s start…
The Visigothic Kingdom, or Regnum Visigothorum (418 – 721) in Latin, ruled the Iberian Peninsula (modern-day Portugal, Spain, Andorra, and southwestern France) for over three centuries before being overthrown by the Muslims with the conquest of Andalusia. This kingdom, which ruled all of what is now southwestern France and the Iberian Peninsula from the 5th to the 8th centuries, was one of the Germanic successor states to the Western Roman Empire. It was initially established in the province of Gallia Aquitania by Visigoths under the Roman government, and later expanded through conquest to all of Hispania. The kingdom maintained its independence from the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire, whose attempts to re-establish Roman authority in Hispania were only partially successful and short-lived. (413)
The Visigoths were Romanized Central Europeans who moved westward from the Danube Valley. (414) They became Rome’s “foederati” and wanted to re-establish Roman rule against the Vandals, Alans and Suebis armies. The Western Roman Empire fell in 476, so the Visigoths believed they were entitled to the lands Rome had promised them in Hispania in exchange for re-establishing Roman rule. (415)
The Visigothic Kingdom, which ruled the Iberian Peninsula for three centuries, was a state of oppression and cruelty. Under the rule of this cruel kingdom, especially the Berbers, Jews, Christians who opposed the Catholic Church, and also those of the same race as the kingdom (Visigoths) but opposed the regime, were subjected to great oppression. (416) (NOTE: All of these social groups we have listed helped the Kurdish commander Tariq ibn Ziyad in the Islamic conquest movement in 711, and Tariq landed in Gibraltar with their help. I will explain this with sources in a moment.)
In 710, a year before the conquest of Andalusia, Rodrigo became the new Visigothic King. However, some of the Visigothic nobles supported Wittiza’s son Aguila II. After being declared king by his father and the previous ruler, he also divided the region by acting in this way. (417)
In the Visigothic Kingdom, there was a practice like this: It was a tradition for Gothic nobles and governors to send their children to the royal palace for education and upbringing. In other words, high-ranking people who had an important status or were governors of a province affiliated with the kingdom had to send their children who had reached puberty to the royal palace for education. These children would receive a certain level of education in the palace. Because the children of high-ranking people affiliated with the kingdom had to be educated individuals and go through the royal palace’s educational system.
According to the Egyptian Arab historian, jurist, muhaddis and jurist Abu’l-Qasem Abdorrahman ibn Abdollah ibn Abdolhakam al-Misri (803 – 71), who lived only a century after the conquest of Andalusia, in his masterpiece “Fūtuh-u Misr wa’l-Maghreb wa’l-Andalūs wa Akhbarohā” (Conquest of Egypt, Maghreb and Andalusia and News), as a requirement of this tradition, which was a state policy, the Governor of Septe Julián (this man is a Berber) sent his daughter Florinda la Cava (? – ?) to the palace of King Rodrigo for education. While this Berber girl was receiving education in the palace, King Rodrigo’s son (the prince of the country) fell in love with her. However, when he did not receive a response to his love, he tried to take Florinda by force and raped her. (418)
The historical accounts of the Islamic historian and Arab scholar Ibn Abdolhakam are also confirmed by early Christian sources. (419) Some sources say that the person who raped the Berber girl Florinda was King Rodrigo himself, some sources say that it was Rodrigo’s son, and some sources say that it was someone from the royal family.
When his only daughter is raped by the royal family in the royal palace, Julián, the governor of Septe, goes mad with rage. As a father, he feels great pain and his heart is torn. Seized by a terrible desire for revenge, Julián informs his compatriots in North Africa, the Berbers, explains what happened and asks for help for revenge.
Julián, the governor of Septe had some fiefdoms in Southern Iberia and had good relations with the Gheita family, the former rulers of the country. In order to overthrow the Rodrigo regime and take revenge, he formed an alliance with his rival Aguila. At the same time, he sends some of the Gheita family as ambassadors to the Muslim Berbers. (420)
The Kurdish commander Tariq ibn Ziyad and his Berber friends were in Kairouan in Tunisia at that time. Julián, Count of Septe, a Berber, sent a letter to Tariq ibn Ziyad and told him everything that had happened. He said that his only daughter Florinda, whom he had sent to the palace for education, had been raped by King Rodrigo and that he needed their help for revenge. The Berber governor Julián says in a letter to the Kurdish commander Tariq and his Berber friends: “If you avenge my daughter; I will put the Visigothic Kingdom under your feet, you will possess all the lands of Spain and I have the power to ensure this. I will help you cross the Bosphorus (the Strait of Gibraltar), I have a number of merchant ships and with these I can easily pass the Muslims to the Spanish side, I have even prepared the ships for this purpose. I am also close friends with the political opponents of the despicable King Rodrigo. All the conditions are ready and the conjuncture is suitable for taking over Spain.” (421)
According to the Andalusian Berber historian Ibn Qutiyye or with his full name Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Abdolazez ibn Ibrahim ibn Isa ibn Mazahem al-Ishbili (? – 977), in his work titled “Tarikh-i Iftitah’al-Andalūs” (History of the Conquest of Andalusia), Julián also wrote to Tariq and his friends, telling them about the beauty, virtue and good things of the country, and how bad the situation of the Visigoths was. He described them as weak. (422)
Tariq ibn Ziyad and his friends go crazy after hearing the news of this rape and swear revenge. They gather together, swear in the name of Allah, and promise honor and dignity: The Berber girl Florinda who was raped will be avenged, the Visigothic Kingdom will be destroyed, all Spanish lands will be conquered, the vile and dishonorable King Rodrigo and his family will be killed and sent to Hell.
The famous commander Tariq ibn Ziyad, although a Kurd, was born and raised among the Berbers and is a name that was raised among them. He has a spiritual bond with the Berber society and feels that he belongs to this society emotionally. This is also understandable and a human situation.
In fact, the same situation also exists in another world-famous Kurdish leader and commander, Saladin Ayyubi or with his full name Malikoun-Nassr bavey Mouzaffar Salahaddin Yousouf kurey Najmaddin Ayyubi al-Shadi al-Kurdi (1138 – 93). Saladin Ayyubi is a Kurd of Caucasian origin. He is not from Botan or Behdinan, but from the Caucasus. And what is more striking is that he is a Kurd who was raised among the Circassians. He also derives his warrior personality to a large extent from the Circassian people he grew up among. Saladin Ayyubi is from the Caucasian Hazbani Kurds and belongs to the Shadi branch of the Ravadiya Kurdish tribe. Because of this, Saladin Ayyubi placed the Circassians in the highest echelons of the state. The command echelon of the Ayyubi army consisted of Kurds and Circassians. The commanders of the army were Kurdish and Circassian commanders. (423)
For example, as a person who has spent most of my life in Germany, I have a spiritual bond with German society. Although I am a Kurd, I feel part of the German nation. These are understandable, human situations. Because I earned my living here, I experienced the most beautiful things here, I was valued as a person in this country and among this society, I was respected for both my religious beliefs and my ethnic-national identity, I saw civilization here, I was introduced to contemporary values. In this way, instead of looking at life through a narrow religious or ideological window, I gained a more enlightened and universal perspective.
As we have explained in the previous chapters of this book, it is even debatable whether Tariq ibn Ziyad – as we are told – really set out to conquer Spain on Musa ibn Nusayr’s orders and assignment, or whether Tariq acted on his own, without listening to Musa or obeying his orders, by gathering a few warriors around him, even though Musa ibn Nusayr did not want such an operation and even tried to prevent Tariq. There are debates among different sources on this important issue, and many historians say that Tariq ibn Ziyad acted on his own. According to historians, Tariq ibn Ziyad took on tasks that were never given to him, and let alone conquering Spain upon Musa ibn Nusayr’s orders, did not even inform Musa ibn Nusayr while he was conquering Spain. When he learns about the conquest of Spain, Musa ibn Nusayr becomes very angry and starts to feel a grudge against Tariq ibn Ziyad. Musa ibn Nusayr is thinking of arresting Tariq ibn Ziyad and chaining him up, and even killing him. We have previously explained these in detail and with their sources. (424)
Thus, we have learned the reason for this in this section. It is now better understood why Tariq ibn Ziyad and the Berber army under his command embarked on such a bold conquest without even informing Musa ibn Nusayr, the Umayyad Governor of North Africa. Because this is not a “religious conquest movement”, it is a “case of honor”. And if they had been informed, the operation would have definitely been prevented.
According to the treasure trove called “Colección de Obras Arábigas de Historia y Geografía” (Collection of Arabic Historical and Geographical Works), which is the Spanish translation of the Arabic work called “Akhbar’un-Madjmoātun fi Fath’il-Andalūs”, which is the official historical records of the Islamic State of Andalusia and records the entire historical process from the time Tariq ibn Ziyad sailed into the Strait of Gibraltar in 711 to the end of the 10th century, the Kurdish commander Tariq ibn Ziyad is preparing an army of 7000 men. This army consists entirely of Berber warriors. (425)
The famous Berber historian Ibn Izari or with his full name Abu Abbas Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Izari al-Marrakashi (? – 1313), also provides the same information in his only work he left behind, the book “Al-Bayān’ol-Moghreb fi Ikhtisar-i Akhbar-i Mūlūk’il-Andalus wa’l-Maghreb”. He writes that Tariq ibn Ziyad’s Berber army consisted of 7000 men. (426)
The Egyptian Arab historian, jurist, muhaddis and jurist Ibn Abdolhakam also wrote that the Berber army prepared by Tariq ibn Ziyad consisted of 7000 warriors. (427)
This information is also found in many other reliable sources. It is an absolute fact that the Berber army that Tariq ibn Ziyad formed for this operation consisted of 7000 warriors. However, some sources claim that a 5000-man Berber unit was later added to these and the total number of warriors increased to 12,000. (428)
The Berber sociologist Ibn Khaldun or with his full name Waleyeddin abu Zejd Abdurrahman bin Mohammad ibn Khaldun al-Hadrami (1332 – 1406), who is considered the founder of the science of sociology, in his book “Tarikh’al-Berber” (History of Berbers), which is the 6th and 7th volumes of his magnificent work “Kitab’al-Iber wa Diwan’al-Mubtadā wa’l-Khabar fi Ayyam’il-Arab wa’l- Adjam wa’l-Berber waman Âsharahoum min Zawi’s-Soltan’il-Akbar”, later published as an independent work, mentions 12,000 newly converted Berbers (recently converted to Islam) stationed in Tangier with Tariq ibn Ziyad and 27 Arabs who were responsible for teaching them the Qoran; without giving any other details, especially about the origin of the existing ethnic groups. (429) In other words, according to Ibn Khaldun, there were 27 Arabs in this 12,000-man army who were responsible for teaching them the Qoran.
However, this claim, which Ibn Khaldun, who lived 600 years after this incident, voiced without providing any evidence, does not appear in any source before him. The unit led by Tariq ibn Ziyad was mostly composed of various Berber tribes. Various sources after Ibn Khaldun (probably believing Ibn Khaldun’s claim) mention a unit consisting mainly of local Berbers, accompanied by a few dozen Arabs who were responsible for teaching the Qoran to the newly converted soldiers. (430)
Some Western researchers, on the other hand, draw attention to the presence of Berber mountaineers from Aurès, who had been defeated by the Muslim Arabs a few years earlier, in Tariq ibn Ziyad’s army. (431)
The total number of 12,000 warriors suggested in Arab-Muslim accounts is considered exaggerated by many historians. In our opinion, this is not true and has been exaggerated. It is clear from historical and objective sources that the army prepared by the Kurdish commander Tariq ibn Ziyad consisted of 7000 warriors and all of them were Berbers.
According to the sources, the Visigothic King Rodrigo, who received news that Tariq ibn Ziyad would attack Iberia (Spain) with an army of 7000 to avenge Julián’s daughter Florinda, gathered an army of 100,000 to counter the threat of the Muslims (Berbers) (432), but the real number may be much lower (433).
An army of 100,000 against an army of 7000!… It seems that Rodrigo’s victory is certain and our Tariq has no chance! But the image is misleading. Because there is something Rodrigo never calculated or realized: Most of the soldiers and even commanders in the army of 100,000 that Rodrigo prepared were led by the sons of his opponent Wittiza, whom Rodrigo had brutally dethroned, and they were loyal to them. (434) In other words, most of the soldiers and commanders in Rodrigo’s army were actually in favor of the victory of the “enemy” Tariq ibn Ziyad army, and when the war began, they would fight not to win, but to lose.
Meanwhile, the Visigothic Kingdom, which ruled in Spain, was faced with various problems caused by throne struggles, conflicts within society, and the policy of forcibly “Christianizing” the Jews. (435)
… and finally those great days that would change the course of history came. Tariq ibn Ziyad and the army under his command began their campaign to conquer Andalusia.
The army of the Visigothic King Rodrigo was almost 15 times stronger than the army of the Kurdish commander Tariq ibn Ziyad (100,000 against 7000). However, Tariq ibn Ziyad and the “Islamic army” under his command had the advantage. Because there were very important elements in Spain (the Visigothic Kingdom) that would help Tariq ibn Ziyad (i.e. “betray the country” in modern terms).
In the conquest of Andalusia, the important elements that would help Tariq ibn Ziyad (in modern terms, “betray the country”) in Spain (Visigothic Kingdom) were as follows:
1 – Berbers loyal to Julián, the Governor of Septe, who wanted to avenge his daughter Florinda who was raped and who personally initiated this expedition for this very reason
2 – Jews who were forcibly “Christianized” by the Visigothic Kingdom and were subjected to all kinds of oppression and persecution in Spanish lands (NOTE: The reasons why Jews had all kinds of rights and freedoms during the time of the Islamic Civilization of Andalusia and lived in peace and tranquility under Islamic rule should also be sought here)
3 – Visigoths loyal to Wittiza, who was an opponent of the Visigothic King Rodrigo
4 – Commanders and soldiers within the Visigothic army who were not led by King Rodrigo but by the sons of his opponent Wittiza and were loyal to them
5 – The mentioned in official Islamic history, told in mosques and religious conversations but never seen or witnessed by anyone “angels descending from the sky”
The last item is of course satire, but if the elements mentioned in the first four items had not existed, Andalusia would never have been conquered in 711. It would have been absolutely impossible for a handful of Berber warriors to destroy the entire Visigothic Kingdom. It would have been impossible to prevail against an army of 100,000 with a raw and unassembled force of 7000 warriors – with all due respect and “no offense” – even if the four great angels of the Jews and Muslims, or even the Yezidi’s Malak-i Tawos, had come.
The conquest of Andalusia in 711, one of the greatest conquests in history, was not a success achieved by Muslims (Berber raiders led by a Kurdish commander) alone. Official Islamic history does not want to mention this and carefully avoids mentioning it anyway, but this was a victory achieved through the cooperation of Muslims, Jews and the “traitors” Visigoths in Spain. First of all, as a historical fact, we must first acknowledge this.
So, “treason” is not such a bad thing, my dear sisters and brothers, in fact it is a very good thing. Because if these “traitors” in Spain did not exist, the conquest of Andalusia, one of the most brilliant events in Islamic history and even in world history, would not have happened, and that magnificent Andalusian Islamic Civilization, which broke new ground in both science and progress, as well as in art and literature, and whose positive effects still continue today, would not have been established.
“What a glorious army is that which betrays the homeland, what great commanders are those who betray the homeland.”
There is also something else: While Tariq ibn Ziyad’s Islamic army derived its greatest strength from the Visigothic Kingdom (Spain), King Rodrigo’s Visigothic army derived its greatest strength from the Umayyad Islamic Caliphate. There is also such a paradox. Because, as we have explained in the previous chapters of this book, the Umayyad Islamic Caliphate was strongly against such a “crazy” conquest and would have prevented it if they had known about it. That is why Tariq ibn Ziyad and his army carried out this conquest without even informing the Umayyad Islamic Caliphate and the Umayyad Governor of North Africa, Musa ibn Nusayr. (436)
Now, do you call it “the irony of fate” or “the paradox of life”, but there is such a paradox. Tariq ibn Ziyad’s greatest power is within the Visigothic Kingdom, and Visigothic King Rodrigo’s greatest power is within the Islamic Caliphate. We philosophers call this situation “dialectical contradiction”.
Let’s continue where we left off…
… and finally those great days that will change the course of history come. Tariq ibn Ziyad and the army under his command begin their campaign to conquer Andalusia.
Date, April 711.
– will continue –
FOOTNOTES:
(391): “Battle of Qadisiyyah” and “Islamization of Iran” in all sources in the world
(392): “Battle of Nahavand” and “Islamization of Hamadan” in all sources in the world
(393): Colección de Obras Arábigas de Historia y Geografía, volume 1: “Ajbar Machmúa”, translated by Emilio Lafuente Alcántara, p. 6 – 7, Real Academia de la Historia, Imprenta y Estereotipia de M. Rivadeneyra, Madrid 1867 / Encyclopædia Universalis, volume 8, Georges Bohas, article “Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād”, Société d’Édition Encyclopædia Universalis S. A., Paris 1966
(394): See the previous section of this book titled “Was Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Conqueror of Andalusia, whose Arab or Berber Status has been Debated for a Thousand Years, Actually a Kurd?”
(395): İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 5, Hakkı Dursun Yıldız, article “Berberîler”, p. 479, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Istanbul 1992
(396): Robert Brunschvig, Ibn Abd al-Hakam et la Conquète de l’Afrique du Nord par les Arabes, Al-Andalus, issue 40, p. 129 – 179, 1975
(397): İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 5, Hakkı Dursun Yıldız, article “Berberîler”, p. 480, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Istanbul 1992
(398): ibid
(399): Clive Holes, Arabic Historical Dialectology: Linguistic and Sociolinguistic Approaches, p. 42, Oxford University Press, Oxford 2018
(400): Daniel Pipes, Slave Soldiers and Islam: The Genesis of a Military System, p. 124, Yale University Press, London & New Haven 1981 / Paul B. Fenton – David G. Littman, Exile in the Maghreb: Jews under Islam, Sources and Documents, 997 – 1912, p. 1, Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, Madison & Teaneck 2016
(401): See the previous section of this book titled “How Were Berbers Islamized?”
(402): See the previous section of this book titled “Was Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Conqueror of Andalusia, whose Arab or Berber Status has been Debated for a Thousand Years, Actually a Kurd?”
(403): Hugh Kennedy, Muslim Spain and Portugal: A Political History of Al-Andalus, Longman Publishing, London 1996
(404): Roger Collins, Early Medieval Spain, p. 151, St. Martin’s Press, New York 1983
(405): ibid
(406): Roger Collins, The Arab Conquest of Spain (710 – 797), p. 33, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford & Cambridge 1989
(407): ibid, p. 32 – 33
(408): ibid, p. 17 ve 32 – 33
(409): ibid, p. 31 – 32
(410): Adèle Rucquoi, Histoire Médiéval de la Péninsule Ibérique, p. 71, Éditions du Seuil, Paris 1993
(411): Mischa Meier, Geschichte der Völkerwanderung, p. 890, Beck Verlag, Munich 2019
(412): Klaus Herbers, Geschichte Spaniens im Mittelalter, p. 77 et seq., Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 2006
(413): “Visigothic Kingdom” in all sources in the world
(414): Mark Kurlansky, The Basque History of the World, p. 35, Penguin Random House Publishing, London 2011
(415): José Orlandis, Historia del Reino Visigodo Español: Los Acontecimientos, las Instituciones, la Sociedad, los Protagonistas, Ediciones Rialp, Madrid 2003
(416): “Visigothic Kingdom” in all sources in the world
(417): Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz, La España Musulmana: Según los Autores Islamitas y Cristianos Medievales, p. 47, Ediciones Espasa-Calpe, Madrid 1986
(418): Ibn Abdolhakam, Fūtuh-u Misr wa’l-Maghreb wa’l-Andalūs wa Akhbarohā, p. 277, Al-Hayyaat al-A’amat’el-Qosur al-Saqafat, Cairo 1999
(419): Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz, La España Musulmana: Según los Autores Islamitas y Cristianos Medievales, p. 45 – 47, Ediciones Espasa-Calpe, Madrid 1986
(420): Mounes Hūseyn, Fadjr’al-Andalūs, p. 64, Nashriyat’al-Nūr, Cairo 1959
(421): Akhbar Madjmuāt fi Fath’al-Andalūs, Mūallif Madjhol, investigation: Ibrahim al-Libyari, p. 16, Dar’ul-Kitab Nashriyat, Cairo & Beirut 1989 / Ibn Abdolhakam, Fūtuh-u Misr wa’l-Maghreb wa’l-Andalūs wa Akhbarohā, p. 277, Al-Hayyaat al-A’amat’el-Qosur al-Saqafat, Cairo 1999 / Claudio Sánchez-Albornoz, La España Musulmana: Según los Autores Islamitas y Cristianos Medievales, p. 45 – 47, Ediciones Espasa-Calpe, Madrid 1986 / Klaus Herbers, Geschichte Spaniens im Mittelalter: Vom Westgotenreich bis zum Ende des 15. Jahrhunderts, p. 77 et seq, Kohlhammer Verlag, Stuttgart 2006 / Georg Bossong, Das Maurische Spanien, p. 14 et seq, Beck Verlag, Munich 2007 / Ajay Menon, 10 Interesting Facts About The Straits Of Gibraltar, Marine Insight, 17 April 2021, https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/10-interesting-facts-about-the-straits-of-gibraltar/
(422): Ibn Qutiyye, Tarikh-i Iftitah’al-Andalūs, p. 8, Sevilla 977
(423): Asimilasyon İlk Önce Karadeniz’de Başlatıldı, interview with İbrahim Sediyani, Xopuri Lazi, Kolkhoba, 15 July 2011, https://www.sediyani.com/?p=6961
(424): See the previous section of this book titled “Was Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Conqueror of Andalusia, whose Arab or Berber Status has been Debated for a Thousand Years, Actually a Kurd?”
(425): Colección de Obras Arábigas de Historia y Geografía, volume 1: “Ajbar Machmúa”, translated by Emilio Lafuente Alcántara, p. 21 (Arabic original p. 6; Spanish translation p. 21), Real Academia de la Historia, Imprenta y Estereotipia de M. Rivadeneyra, Madrid 1867
(426): Ibn Izari, Al-Bayān’ol-Moghreb fi Ikhtisar-i Akhbar-i Mūlūk’il-Andalus wa’l-Maghreb, volume 1, p. 6, Algiers 1901
(427): Ibn Abdolhakam, Fūtuh-u Misr wa’l-Maghreb wa’l-Andalūs wa Akhbarohā, Al-Hayyaat al-A’amat’el-Qosur al-Saqafat, Cairo 1999
(428): André Clot, Image de Couverture pour L’Espagne Musulmane: VIIIe – XVe Siècle, p. 19, Éditions Perrin, Paris 2004
(429): Ibn-Khaldoun, Histoire des Berbères et des Dynasties Musulmanes de l’Afrique Septentrionale, volume 1, p. 215, Imprimerie du Gouvernement, Algiers 1847
(430): Abd al-Wahid Dhannun Taha, The Muslim Conquest and Settlement of North Africa and Spain, p. 85 and 280, Routledge Publishing, London & New York 1989 / UNESCO International Scientific Committee for the Drafting of a General History of Africa, volume 5, “Africa from the Seventh to the Eleventh Century”, p. 127 and 398, John Currey Publishing, Accra 1992
(431): Encyclopédie Berbère, volume 8, E. B. – Ph. Leveau – P. Morizot – J. Morizot – M.-C. Chamla – F. Demoulin – S. Adjali – S. Chaker, article “Aurès”, p. 1097 – 1169, Édition Édisud, Aix-en-Provence 2008
(432): Colección de Obras Arábigas de Historia y Geografía, volume 1: “Ajbar Machmúa”, translated by Emilio Lafuente Alcántara, p. 22 (Arabic original p. 8; Spanish translation p. 21), Real Academia de la Historia, Imprenta y Estereotipia de M. Rivadeneyra, Madrid 1867 / Ibn Qutiyye, Al-Imamat wa’l-Siyasat, volume 2, p. 74, Maktabat wa Matbaat al-Halbi, Cairo 1963
(433): Roger Collins, Visigothic Spain (409 – 711), p. 141, John Wiley & Sons Publishing, New Jersey 2004
(434): Mozarabic Chronicle, p. 52, Córdoba 754 / Ahmad al-Maqqari, Nafh’ut-Teb min Ghushn’il-Andalūs’ir-Ratib wa Zikru Wazirihā Lisan’id-Din Ibn-il-Khateb, volume 1, p. 269, Cairo 1885
(435): İslam Ansiklopedisi, volume 11, Mehmet Özdemir, article “Endülüs”, p. 211, Türkiye Diyanet Vakfı Yayınları, Istanbul 1992
(436): See the previous section of this book titled “Was Tariq ibn Ziyad, the Conqueror of Andalusia, whose Arab or Berber Status has been Debated for a Thousand Years, Actually a Kurd?”
16 NOVEMBER 2024
SEDİYANİ HABER
