| Tariq ibn Ziyad طارق بن زياد |
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Tariq ibn Ziyad conquered Hispania in 711 CE |
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| Died | 720 Damascus, ash-Sham |
| Allegiance | Umayyad Caliphate |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | Conquest of Hispania |
| Other work | Governor of Al-Andalus |
Tariq ibn Ziyad (Arabic: طارق بن زياد, died 720) was a Muslim Berber general who led the Islamic conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711 A.D. He is considered to be one of the most important military commanders in Iberian history. Under the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I he led a large army from the north coast of Morocco, consolidating his troops at a large hill now known as Gibraltar. The name "Gibraltar" is the Spanish derivation of the Arabic name Jabal Tāriq (جبل طارق), meaning "mountain of Tariq",[1] named after him.
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Little is known of his early life, but he is believed to have been a Berber from North Africa. In his work on the origins of Berbers, Ibn Khaldun, albeit without any references, categorises him as belonging to "the branch of Ulhasa" (French: Oulhaça). It appears likely that Ibn Khaldun obtained this information from the writings of the historian Ibn Idhari author of the Al Bayan Al Moghrib (News of Morocco).[2] According to Ibn Khaldun, the Ulhasa tribes, could be found at that time on both sides of the Tafna river in Tlemcen, Algeria.[3]
On April 29 711, the armies of Tariq, composed of recent converts to Islam,[4] landed at Gibraltar (the name Gibraltar is derived from the Arabic name Jabal al Tariq, which means mountain of Tariq).
The 17th century Muslim historian Al-Maqqari wrote that upon landing, Tariq burned his ships and then made a speech, well-known in the Muslim world, to his soldiers.
| “ | Oh my warriors, whither would you flee? Behind you is the sea, before you, the enemy. You have left now only the hope of your courage and your constancy. Remember that in this country you are more unfortunate than the orphan seated at the table of the avaricious master. Your enemy is before you, protected by an innumerable army; he has men in abundance, but you, as your only aid, have your own swords, and, as your only chance for life, such chance as you can snatch from the hands of your enemy. If the absolute want to which you are reduced is prolonged ever so little, if you delay to seize immediate success, your good fortune will vanish, and your enemies, whom your very presence has filled with fear, will take courage. Put far from you the disgrace from which you flee in dreams, and attack this monarch who has left his strongly fortified city to meet you. Here is a splendid opportunity to defeat him, if you will consent to expose yourselves freely to death. Do not believe that I desire to incite you to face dangers which I shall refuse to share with you. In the attack I myself will be in the fore, where the chance of life is always least.
Remember that if you suffer a few moments in patience, you will afterward enjoy supreme delight. Do not imagine that your fate can be separated from mine, and rest assured that if you fall, I shall perish with you, or avenge you. You have heard that in this country there are a large number of ravishingly beautiful Greek maidens, their graceful forms are draped in sumptuous gowns on which gleam pearls, coral, and purest gold, and they live in the palaces of royal kings. The Commander of True Believers, Alwalid, son of Abdalmelik, has chosen you for this attack from among all his Arab warriors; and he promises that you shall become his comrades. Such is his confidence in your intrepidity. The one fruit which he desires to obtain from your bravery is that the word of God shall be exalted in this country, and that the true religion shall be established here. The spoils will belong to yourselves. Remember that I place myself in the front of this glorious charge which I exhort you to make. At the moment when the two armies meet hand to hand, you will see me, never doubt it, seeking out this Roderick, tyrant of his people, challenging him to combat, if God is willing. If I perish after this, I will have had at least the satisfaction of delivering you, and you will easily find among you an experienced hero, to whom you can confidently give the task of directing you. But should I fall before I reach to Roderick, redouble your ardor, force yourselves to the attack and achieve the conquest of this country, in depriving him of life. With him dead, his soldiers will no longer defy you.[5] |
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The Muslim armies swept through Hispania and, in the summer of 711, won a decisive victory when the Visigothic king, Roderic, was defeated and killed on July 19 at the Battle of Guadalete. Afterwards, Tariq was made governor of Hispania but eventually was called back to Damascus by the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I in 714, where he spent the rest of his life.[6]
| New title | Governor of Al-Andalus 711–712 |
Succeeded by Musa bin Nusair |