Umayyad @ Spain

 

        The Abbasids conquered Damascus, the capital of the Amavis, and began massacring members of the Amavi family. Abdur Rehman, a member of the Amavi family, was 19 at the time. He hid with his family in a house in the middle of a forest on the banks of the Euphrates River. When the Abbasid army arrived, Abdurrahman hid through the back door. Abdurrahman crossed the river and reached Egypt on the other side and from there to Africa. During this time he came in contact with some people in Spain. With their help they reached Spain and established an independent government there.

Abdurrahman Dakhil

This Amavi regime in Spain lasted for two and a half centuries. Abdurrahman established the government after coming from another country. In that sense, history calls him Abdurrahman Dakhil.

Abdurrahman chose the city of Cordoba as his headquarters. Jamie Qurtuba is the mosque he founded there. He ruled for 33 years.

Hisham I.

After the death of Abdurrahman Dakhil, his son Hisham I came to power. He ruled from 171 to 180 AH. His rule was one that played on justice and peace, reminiscent of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz.

Hisham completed the construction of the Cordoba Mosque, which began during the reign of Abdurrahman. He built a bridge over the Cordoba River. It was alleged that he had built the bridge for hunting and riding. He then swore that Tana would not cross the bridge and kept it until his death. Hisham was a very popular ruler.

Hakam ruled after Hisham. He ruled from 180 to 206 AH. History explains that he was hated by the public and scholars for some of his evil deeds.

Abdurrahman II

He was a very worthy ruler. He was the first to create a navy for Spain. During his time a shipyard was being built at Sevilla on the banks of the Vadikabir River. Abdurrahman II was a contemporary of the Abbasid rulers Matasim and Mamoon.

Abdurrahman II was followed by three others in Cordoba. But in their time, governance deteriorated and the state weakened.

Abdurrahman Nasir succeeded them.

Abdurrahman Nasir

Abdurrahman Nasir is arguably the most famous Amavi ruler in Spain. He is the third ruler to come to power under the name of Abdurahman. Hence he is also known as Abdurahman III.

At that time the country was in great crisis. Riots were rampant everywhere. He put everything under his control.

He strengthened the army. There were one lakh soldiers in the army at that time. History has it that the Spanish navy had more than two hundred ships at that time.

In view of the greatness and power of Spain in the distant past, the European powers intended to establish relations with Abdurrahman. The governments of Rome, France, and Germany even sent their representatives to Spain for this purpose.

Abdurahman's personal life was regal, though he did much good in government.

After Abdurahman, his son Hakam II came to power. He ruled from 350 to 366 AH. He was very interested in writing and reading and collected more than one lakh books in the Royal Library. History has shown that he employed tens of thousands of writers to copy books.

Hakam was succeeded by his son Hisham II. During his reign the tug-of-war for power took place. Over the next 20 years, 10 people came to power. Finally, in 422 AH, the Amavi government of Spain was overthrown. Since then, several independent regimes have sprung up in Spain.

State Achievements

This government ruled Spain for 284 years. Cordoba, the capital of Spain, was at that time the largest city after Baghdad. Agriculture, industry, handicrafts and commerce flourished. The rulers of Spain also placed great emphasis on science and literature. Islam came to Spain too late. The great Abbasid scholars are therefore not to be found in Spain.

Ibn 'Abdi Rabb is one of the most important poets of today. Yahya bin Yahya is very famous among the religious scholars. He is a disciple of Hazrat Imam Malik. He was a khadi in Spain during the reign of Abdurrahman II.

Cities

In addition to the capital, Cordoba, there were several cities in Spain.

Sevilla:

The second largest city in Spain. Center for Industry, Crafts and Shipbuilding. Sevilla had a reputation in the field of munitions manufacturing. Architecture and GardeningSevilla was also a place of entertainment.

Toledo:

The city was located close to Madrid, the capital of modern Spain. Toledo was a place where swords were very popular.

Valencia:

The city is known for its abundance of plantations and large-scale saffron cultivation. The bricks and woolen cloths were very popular here.

Mursia:

Center for Irrigation Project. The city was famous for the manufacture of painted cloth.

Maria:

The largest center of fur. There were more than 800 hairdressing salons here. Weapons and ships were built here.

Malaga:

Great port. The grapes here were world famous.