Tariq bin Ziyad and the conquest of Andalusia
Tariq bin Ziyad
His birth and upbringing:
Tariq bin Ziyad, the Conqueror of Andalusia, was born in the year 50 AH corresponding to 670 AD in the city of Khenchela in Algeria into the Nafza Amazigh tribe. Historians differed about his origins, such as Ibn al-Hakam, al-Tabari, Ibn Khaldun and others, between those who say that he is an Arab, such as Ibn Khalkan, al-Zarkali, and al-Muqari, and between those who say he is Persian from Hamadan, and those who say he is a Amazigh but Ibn Adhari al-Marrakchi explained in his book that he is "Tariq bin Ziyad bin Abdullah bin Lagho bin Raqjoum bin Nir bin Walhas bin Yatuf bin Nafzaw". That is, he is from the Nafzawa Berber tribe, a clan that inhabits the Aures Mountains in northeastern Algeria.
It is said about Tariq bin Ziyad that he learned the Arabic language and memorized some of the Qur’an and some hadiths of the Prophet, “He was tall, huge, blond in color, and these qualities apply to the element of Berber.” Ibn Adhari.
The beginning of the conquest of Andalusia:
Before the conquest of Andalusia, Tariq bin Ziyad participated in the conquest of North African countries, such as Libya and Tunisia. For his valor, Musa bin Nasir (who was sent by Abdul Malik bin Marwan to conquer North Africa) made him a leader over the Muslim armies, so this leader headed west and opened the city of Tangiers, which was ruled by the king Julian. The latter had enmity with the Gothic state that was ruling the Iberian Peninsula at the time, led by King Rodrico (Ludric).
The ruler of Ceuta provided assistance to Tariq bin Ziyad and Musa bin Nusair and encouraged them to invade Andalusia. When the two leaders were convinced of Julian's words, they sent a company for reconnaissance led by Tarif bin Malik. Narratives about the number of Arab soldiers) and met with King Rodrico, who mobilized more than 100 thousand soldiers in the Battle of Guadalete, which lasted eight consecutive days until people thought that it was annihilation and death because of the fierceness of the battle, and the victory was the ally of Tariq bin Ziyad in the year 711 AD corresponding to 92 AH.
So Tariq opened the rest of Andalusia and expanded in the north until he reached the French-Spanish border.
Battle of Quadaliti between the Islamic armies and the forces of Ludrigue
Tariq's famous sermon:
The sayings differed in the proportion of the famous sermon that Tariq bin Ziyad delivered in front of his army before the battle of the conquest of Andalusia, in which he said: “O people, where is the escape? The sea is behind you, and the enemy is in front of you…”. There are those who doubt the attribution of that sermon to Tariq, because it was not mentioned in the oldest Arab sources that dealt with the conquest of Andalusia, such as Ibn Abd al-Hakam, al-Baladri, Ibn al-Atheer, Ibn Khaldun, and al-Maqri. His army, which has a Amazigh majority, understands it, as Ibn Adhari al-Marrakchi said. In this context, the historian Abdullah Sha’out in his book “Vanity that must be erased from history”: that the sermon be in Tamazight, then the Arab writers later came and transferred it to Arabic with a lot of imagination And add and change their habit
gibraltar
The end of Tariq bin Ziyad:
Many sources confirmed that a dispute arose between Tariq and Musa bin Nusayr, and the reason was that Musa asked Tariq to stop expanding into the country of Andalusia, but Tariq refused that and began expanding until he reached the border with France. However, hatred and envy are the cause of this dispute because Moses did not want his barbarian master to be a great leader and conqueror after he saw the progress of the conquests in the land of Andalusia. This prompted the latter to submit his complaint to the Umayyad Caliph, who summoned them to Damascus, and there the biography of the great Mujahid Tariq bin Ziyad ended, for his news disappeared in Damascus until he died there in the year 720 AD.
Many historians have mentioned that Tariq bin Ziyad was a great personality, as he was a humble, contented, contented person and faithful to all his commitments. Which qualified him to become one of the most famous and most important Amazigh military leaders, and he is the most revered national figure in Morocco, Algeria and among Arabs and Amazighs alike. Many sites were named after him in his honor and in honor of his memory, most notably that the British Central Bank of Gibraltar issued a security paper bearing the image of Tariq bin Ziyad carrying his sword. But the most important legacy remains the strait separating the Mediterranean and the Atlantic Ocean, which bears the name of Tariq bin Ziyad since he crossed it to this day.
A picture of Tariq bin Ziyad on a European currency
https://www.tamazghapeople.com/2021/09/tariq-bin-ziyad-and-conquest-of.