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March 18, 2016 Special Dispatch No. 6354

From The MEMRI Archives: 'Jabal Tariq: A Continuation Of Deep-Rooted Islamic History And The Base Of Contact Between The Arabic Maghreb And Andalusia'

March 18, 2016
Special Dispatch No. 6354

On August 8, 1997, the Saudi royal family inaugurated, in Gibraltar, Spain, a mosque that was constructed at the foot of the Gibraltar cliff. According to the King Khaled Military College magazine Al-Askariyya, the mosque was named after "the custodian of the two holy places" (i.e. the mosques in Mecca and Al-Madina) King Fahd Bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz, and was sponsored by other royal family members, Prince Salman Bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz, governor of Riyadh province, and Prince 'Abd Al- 'Aziz Bin Fahd, who supervised the mosque construction project, as well as religious scholars and Islamic preachers from various Muslim countries and Muslim communities worldwide.[1]

On December 22, 1997, the Al-'Alam Al-Islami weekly, which is published by the Muslim World League, celebrated the inauguration of the mosque, presenting an historical research article on "Jabal Tariq",[2] written by Muhammad Al-Qadhi.

Following are excerpts from the Al-'Alam 'Al-lslami article:

"The Year 92 AH Witnessed the Landing of the Famous Islamic Commander Tariq lbn Ziyad at the Foot of the Mountain Leading 7,000 Soldiers"

"On the 5th day of the month of Rabi' Al­Thani in 1418 AH (August 8, 1997), a mosque was inaugurated in Gibraltar, named after the custodian of the two holy places, King Fahd Bin 'Abd Al-'Aziz, along with its facilities. The mosque cost the custodian of the two holy places more than 30 million SAR to build.

"This historic Islamic event had positive echoes in the Islamic world because of the important strategic location of this rock, as it is located between the African and European continents, and also because of its status in Islamic history. It was once used as the point where the Arab armies crossed [the straits] towards Europe. Consequently, they conquered Andalusia and spread the principles of Islam in it. Islam became fused with it and gained response. The flag of Islam waved high in the Iberian Peninsula expanses for eight centuries of glory, culture, thought, and science.

"It is about this rock, which bears an Arab name, and about its Islamic history that we publish this study:

"Throughout history Gibraltar was a strategic point and the base of contact between the Maghreb and Andalusia. Before the Islamic conquest it was called many names, the most important being the Phoenician name 'Mount Calpe,' which means 'the hollow mountain' - a name originally given to the big cave in the mountain. The Spanish later called it after Saint Michael (San Miguel), and after the English conquered [Gibraltar] they renamed it 'Saint George's Cave.' After the Muslim conquest of Spain, the Muslims called [Gibraltar] by the names the rock, the straits of passage, Mount Conquest, and the fortunate mountain, [but the name] Gibraltar [in Arabic, Jabal Tariq, meaning the mountain of Tariq] is [the name] by which it is known to this day in all languages. [This name] is attributed to the famous conqueror of Andalusia, Tariq Ibn Ziyad, who crossed with his army into Andalusia in 92 AH (711 CE).

"Gibraltar was the first place upon which the Muslims set foot. This was after Tariq Ibn Ziyad fought with a force of 7,000 men at the foot of the mountain between the months of Ramadan and Rajah in 92 AH (between the months of April and July in 711 CE).

"[The Muslim historian] Al-Idrissi stated that the Muslims barricaded themselves in the mountain [of Gibraltar] and that Tariq was going to burn the ships in which they had crossed the sea in order to strengthen his army's faith in him and to draw their hearts to jihad. It seems that the Muslims camped at the foot of the mountain arid set their observation post at the highest point, which allows a man to see for great distances across both land and sea. They did this in order to prepare for a possible surprise attack of the [Christian] Goths.

"Despite the fact that the battle of Gibraltar was limited [in scope], it had great military importance, because this determined [the Muslims'] success in conquering the Iberian Peninsula and controlling the bridgehead for the army crossing [the sea] from the Maghreb and thus ensuring the lines of contact [between the Muslim army] and its home front in the Maghreb.

"Roderick, the king of the Goths, commanded a [military] attack in the north of Spain against the Basque tribes. Immediately upon hearing of the arrival of the Muslims he headed south and met the army of Tariq Ibn Ziyad on the bank of Wadi Lakka, [situated] between the cities of Sharis [Jerez de la Frontera] and Shaduna [Sidonia]. The Muslims won a decisive victory and Roderick was either killed on the battlefield or disappeared, and no trace of him was found. No more than five years after Tariq's arrival at the mountain, the whole [Iberian] Peninsula was under Muslim control."[3]

"Gibraltar and the Muslim Presence in Andalusia"

"The  Arabs turned  Gibraltar into a stronghold in order fortify their military presence in the Peninsula because of its geo-strategic value. Gibraltar belonged to the Umayyads of Cordoba, and during period of the 'party kings' [Tawa'if], it belonged to Seville and was annexed to the Green Island [Algeciras].

"It is known that the ruler of Seville, Al Mu'tadhid Ibn 'Abbad (died in 462 AH) [1084 CE], was wary for his kingdom because of warriors from the Maghreb. When Al-Mu'tadhid received a letter from Sukut Al-Barghawati, the ruler of Tangier and Sabta [Cetua], saying that the Murabitun [Almoravids] had reached Marrakech, he told his minister, who belittled them, pointing out the fact that they were far away: 'This is what I have foreseen and it is what I fear, write to so­ and-so - that is, to his deputy in the green Island - to guard Gibraltar during until further orders. This story is evidence of the strategic importance of Gibraltar against any expected invader of Andalusia from the south.' When the Party Kingdoms in Andalusia came under great threat from the king of Castilla, Alfonso VI, their kings called for the help of the Alomravid Sultan, Yousuf Bin Tashfin. After the first and second crossings occurred, Al­ Mu'tadhid Ibn 'Abbad gave [Gibraltar] to the people of the Maghreb and it became the base of departure for the Almoravid armies. After the Almoravid state weakened, it lost its control of the place [Gibraltar].

"In 451 AH [1073 CE], the Almohad Calif 'Abd Al-Mumin Ibn 'Ali of the regained control of Gibraltar after defeating the king of Castilla, since he realized its military importance in holding Andalusia.

"It seems that 'Abd Al-Mumin issued two decrees [ordering] the establishment of the city of Gibraltar: He issued the first from Zaher Al-Mahdiyya while he was in Africa in 554 AH [1176 CE] and the other from Tilimsan when he was returning to the capital of his kingdom. According to the text by Ibn Sahib Al-Salat [one of the historians of the Al-Muwahhidun dynasty], an ancient city existed in Gibraltar, but Ibn Jizzi, who recorded the voyage of Ibn Battuta, said that he saw remains of the walls that Tariq [Ibn Ziyad] built, bearing the name 'the Arabs' wall', in addition to a small tower there. His letter contained a strict order for Abu Sa'ad Uthman Bin Khalifa to leave Grenada with his entourage and all of his army and to go to Gibraltar, and join with the Seville students there, and to meet with the Sheikh Abu Hafs, Abu Ishaq Bazzar Ibn Muhammad, Hajj Ya'ish, and the commander Abdallah Ibn Khiyar Al-Jiyani and to consult them and discuss the place for building [the city] as he ordered.

"In addition, ['Abd Al-Mumin] ordered his son Abu Ya'qub Yusouf, governor of Seville, to call all the [craftsmen and artisans] from all the provinces of Andalusia that were under the rule of the Almohads.

"Ibn Saheb Al-Salat, who was a contemporary of the events of which he recounts, wrote: 'Thus, the mountain [Gibraltar], within a few months, became an expansive aromatic garden, with all sorts of fruits: Figs, grapes, apples, pears, quinces, apricots, bananas, and other fruits, and sweat, clear, delectable water. However, the most eye-catching thing was a windmill built by the engineer Hajj Ya'ish at the top of the mountain in order to grind food, thus giving one of the phenomena of mechanical renaissance at that time.'

"He continued: 'The builders expertly built imposing castles and homes, and built layers and curves into their foundations, so they would level the terrain. [These layers] were composed of chiseled rocks and limestone - a rarity in archeology. This Gibraltar is a magnificent place; noble ground; greatly impregnable; built high to meet the sky! Besides building the houses and castles, the walls were built, and the gate, which was named 'Gate of Conquests' through which Gibraltar, enclosed by water on both sides, was entered. Gibraltar had become a unique fortress, which could not be [taken] by anyone who desired, and its residents did not imagine fear [of invaders], neither from sea, nor from land, because it is an impregnable fortress and a home befitting the astral constellations.'

"Al-Himyari[4] mentioned: 'At the foot of the mountain, fountains were dug; they connected to each other and created the river surrounding the city. From this river the best sweat water flew into a large reservoir equipped for this. Up to that time, there was not a more beautiful or fortified city, and it could be entered from only one place, and that is the "Gate of Conquests" mentioned by Ibn Saheb Al­ Salat, and it was fortified by tall, impregnable wall. It was called 'City of Conquests.' The building of the city did not take more than seven months since it began at the end of the month of Rabi'a Al­ Awal in the year 555 AH [1178 CE], with the fortification of the castles and houses of the Caliph, his sons, and grandees.

"Caliph 'Abd Al-Mumin was present at the city's dedication in the month of Dhu Al­ Qa'ada at the same year. Ibn Saheb Al­ Saleaht tells of 'Abd Al-Mumin's crossing: 'While he was crossing the sea, he saw so many people on the sea shore that only their Maker could count them. It was a great historical day, when he appeared in his full glory, a sight that was not forgotten as time went by, and a sight such as this could not have been imagined. All the governors of Andalusia had gathered, as well as their dignitaries, clerics, and writers, who all came to welcome Caliph 'Abd Al-Mumin. When the Caliph settled, he ordered his vizier and son, the Amir Abu Hafs, to collect delegations from all over the country and bring them to his residence to congratulate him and renew the oath of allegiance to him, and they entered according to rank and proper manner, greeted him together and affirmed their allegiance to him.

"When 'Abd Al-Mumin wanted to return to Andalusia he recruited all the people of the Maghreb, among them the Arabs from the land of Bani Hamad (East Algeria), that is, the tribes of Bani 'Adi ibn Hilal ibn 'Amir. Many people from the Arab tribes responded to his call, and he distributed them in the area of Cordoba, Seville and Sharish, where they remain to this day, which is the year 621 of the Hijra (1224 CE) - according to what 'Abd Al-Wahid Al-Marakishi mentioned in his book, Al­Mujab [fi Akhbar Ifriqiya wal-Maghrib] ("The Wonderful [Book] about the History of Ifriqiya and the Maghreb"[5] ). Many people who were of their offspring spread throughout these areas.

"The most important event that took place in Mount Conquest was the assembly that was held in 555 to the Hijra: 'Abd Al­Mumin convened the poets of the Maghreb and of Andalusia, who competed among them in eulogizing him, and in glorifying his victories and the fact that he regained the prestige of Islam in these parts. ...

"After the celebration ended, the Caliph stayed on for two months in order to take care of the affairs of Andalusia and to appoint his governors for Andalusia, and to rule on cases of injustice and complaints. He allocated to Andalusia an army composed of Andalusians and Almohads, consisting of an 18,000-strong cavalry. He appointed Ibn Sanadid as commander of the first [group] and Ibn Al­Sharqi as commander of the second [group], and reappointed his son Abu Ya'qub as governor of Seville.

"The longing for Andalusia and the protection of Islam in it were among the most important goals to which the endeavors of the Almohads were directed. Their practices of fighting gained them further awe and respect.

"The wars between them and the Spanish went on continuously, no sooner had one war ended when another one broke out, due to the Christian attacks on the Muslims of Andalusia. One of the battles was the memorable 'Battle of Arc' in which the Almohad army achieved heroic victories under the command of Caliph Ya'qub Al-Mansur.

"Due to the importance of Gibraltar, the Almohads made it their regular place of assembly, where they would plan their battles. Thus it became a safe passageway for the military campaigns from the Maghreb to Andalusia for waging Jihad against the Spanish kingdoms.

"Gibraltar and the Struggle between the Rulers of the Maghreb and the Rulers of Andalusia"

"The Arab rule of Gibraltar, including various states and periods, lasted 750 years. During this period it suffered many long sieges from the end of the first decade of the 14th century CE. The Spanish conquered it in 709 AH [1309 CE] in a surprise attack by Fernando IV, the king of Castilla ...

"In 733 AH / 1333 CE the Muslims regained their control [of Gibraltar] after a four-month siege. That same year Alfonso XI tried to win it back, but he was forced, after 2.5 months of siege, to sign a peace treaty with the kings of Granada and Morocco: '[with] the dynasty of Bani Al­Ahmar in Andalusia and the dynasty of Bani Marin in the Maghreb.'

"The aforementioned king of Castilla attacked a second time, with the help of the king of Aragon and the king of Portugal and defeated the Muslims in a grand victory near the city of Tariff [Tarifa] in 1340 CE.

"The Spanish historians see the fall of Tariff as an important turning point in the history of what they call 'Reconquista,' since it saved Spain from the danger of additional attacks. However, in the eyes of the Muslims, their control of Gibraltar after this battle became       vital for ensuring contacts between the Maghreb and Andalusia after losing the Green Island.

"However, not four years  past until Alfonso XI lost the Green Island, despite the assistance of a large number of British cavalry. Five years later, he placed a yearlong siege on Gibraltar, a siege that was lifted after the king's death from the Black Plague, which passed over the Mediterranean basin and Western Europe in the middle of the 8th century AH, causing grave losses in life and severe economical damages.

"When the Marini Sultan Abu 'Inan came to power in 752 AH [1351 CE] he improved the fortification [of Gibraltar], extended its walls and equipped it with weapons and food.

"His interest in Gibraltar was so great that he order that a model of Gibraltar be built. In 776 AH [1374 CE] the Bani Al-Ahmar [dynasty] used the weakness of the Marin state and its decay and conquered Gibraltar. Thus the Marins lost the last stronghold they had on the Andalusian side of the straights.

"In 1410, the patience of the people of Gibraltar was spent. They used the controversy between the Arab rulers and the Barbarians, banished them from the city and placed Gibraltar under the protection of the Maghreb sultan, who sent 1000 horsemen and 2000 archers to defend it. However, one year later, Yousuf, the king of Granada, managed to reconquer this fortress [of Gibraltar].

"Twenty-four years later, Enrique de Guzman attacked Gibraltar from the sea, but he drowned. His son, Huan, the governor of Tariff, finished the battle by finally conquering the stronghold in August 20, 1462. The Spanish made their control of Gibraltar a symbol for the end of the Reconquista, despite the fact that the kingdom of Granada remained [under Muslim control] for 30 additional years. This because they managed to reclaim the place where Tariq landed and from which started the glorious campaign of Islamic conquest that brought the Iberian Peninsula into its golden age within two years. The Al-Falih family ruled the fortress exclusively for a long period, since it was annexed to the Spanish crown only at the end of the first year of the 16th century, when Queen Isabel appointed a governor, who took the reigns of control there, on behalf of her husband, King Ferdinand. She ordered her successors to retain control of the fortress, which is 'one of the most beautiful in the Iberian Peninsula.'

"Gibraltar between the Spanish and the English"

"When the Spanish Reconquista war ended, the connection between both sides of the straights was severed. The Spanish conquest era brought with it regression and decay, which increased after the Spanish lost interest in the Mediterranean. Gibraltar went from a bring large port during the Arab rule, to a slowly dying place for 250 years, until the English conquered it on April 4, 1704, during the war of the Spanish succession ... Its conqueror was Sir George Rooke, and he ordered to raise the English flag over the rock ...

"The Utrecht treaty marked the end of the war of Spanish succession. The Spanish king, Phillip V, conceded the city of Gibraltar, its fortress, port, and military installations to the English on his and his successor's behalf. ... After that, the Versailles [sic] treaty was signed, which ended the American war of independence, wherein England was given final recognition of its control of the island.[6] This turned Gibraltar into an English stronghold and its port was of extreme importance in the marine routes of the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Far East. Furthermore, it had a supreme importance in the last two world wars.

"The Spanish citizens continued to toy with the idea of annexing Gibraltar to Spain, and occasionally even demanded it. General Primo deRivera [Spain's prime minister from 1923 to 1930] was the first to call for resolving the problem by negotiations and exchange: so that Spain should concede the city of Ceuta and in exchange England would concede Gibraltar to Spain. This happened in the second decade of the 20th century. However, this was not accomplished because Ceuta too was an occupied Moroccan city. Morocco supports Spain in its demand for Gibraltar on the assumption that it [Spain] would submit to the Moroccan demands and return its right to it, as England would submit to the demands of Spain.

"The former socialist government of Spain announced its desire to reopen the issue of sovereignty once again. Several British officials suggested, in accordance with British policy, that Spain holds, in a time suiting it, a referendum among the residents of the region and if a third [sic] of the residents express their wish to join Spain, then the region will return to Spanish sovereignty, but if the majority refuses to be subject to Spanish sovereignty, no further referendum will be held for the 30 years following it. However, the statement made by the Spanish foreign minister at the time, Fernando Moran: 'We will keep demanding to annex and return Gibraltar to Spain, we will keep demanding Spanish sovereignty over Gibraltar', angered the British politicians, and this case remains unresolved to this day. The British police continued [to guard] the barbed wire fences that have burdened Spanish hearts for so many years.

"Gibraltar was the strongest fortress in history and the mythological boundary of the world, but [geographical] discoveries have done away with legends and boundaries [of ancient times], as military inventions are doing away with the importance of forts and strongholds. Thus described it Amin Al-Rihani, when he visited it in 1939.

"As for the Muslim presence in Gibraltar, according to the statement of Dr. Ali Al­ Muntasir Al-Kattany, some 10% of the 30,000 residents of the place are Muslims from the Maghreb. However, they are not considered citizens of Gibraltar, and hence do not share full rights in the Colony, the most important one being the right of permanent residence. Most Muslims there are men without families, and they perform the lowest jobs. They also have a mosque (that was recently established, as was stated in the beginning of this paper).

"It seems that the Muslim presence in Gibraltar is an ancient one. Mr. Muhammad Al-Zamzami Al-Kattany noted in his memoirs from his visit to Gibraltar in 1934: 'Today, this city holds a small group of Muslims, the most prominent of which are the Sharifs Ahmad and Al-Hadi, the children of lbn 'Ajiba, who deal there in local Moroccan products and the Sharif 'Abd Al-Salam Al-'Imrani, and around 20 other people from Tetuan and Tangier, who sell eggs and vegetables. Furthermore, there is a place of the former residence of the Moroccan consulate that is used as a mosque; it consists of a small house, in front of which there is a place for ritual bathing and a well.'

"Today the situation has changed, and the connection with Tangier, the closest place to Gibraltar, is greater. Furthermore, the trade with Morocco is prospering following the lack of understandings with Spain since the closing of the borders between Gibraltar and the Spanish city of Linta [La Linea], since the referendum in 1969."

 

Endnotes:

[1] Al-Askariyya (Saudi Arabia), March 1, 2002.

[2] The Arabic term for Gibraltar, meaning "Tariq's Mountain," thus named after the Muslim commander Tariq ibn Ziyad, who conquered Spain in 711 CE.

[3] Al-'Alam Al-Islami (Saudi Arabia), December 22, 1997.

[4] 'Abd Al-Mun'im Al-Himari - an Arab historian in the 9th century AH [15th Century CE]. Author of Al-Radgh Al-Mi'tar Fi Khabar Al-Aqtar.

[5] Ifriqiya is a geographical term at times denoting the area known today as Tunisia and at other times denoting a large area covering most of today's North Africa.

[6] In fact, it was the treaty of Paris that ended the American war of Independence, signed on September 3, 1783.

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