Person

Abu Hafs Umar al-Iqritishi

d. c. 855 · 9th century · Also known as Abu Hafs al-Balluti

Abu Hafs Umar al-Iqritishi led the Andalusi exiles who had rebelled against the Umayyad emir of Córdoba and later held Alexandria. Forced out of Egypt, he landed on Byzantine Crete in the 820s, conquered the island and founded the Emirate of Crete with its capital at Chandax, modern Heraklion. His descendants ruled until the Byzantine reconquest of 961.

Abu Hafs Umar al-Iqritishi
Image: Unknown, 13th-century author · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 1 state history

Emirate of Crete

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Abu Hafs Umar al-Iqritishi. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/abu-hafs-umar-al-iqritishi
MLA
“Abu Hafs Umar al-Iqritishi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/abu-hafs-umar-al-iqritishi. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Abu Hafs Umar al-Iqritishi.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/abu-hafs-umar-al-iqritishi.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Abu Hafs Umar al-Iqritishi’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/abu-hafs-umar-al-iqritishi (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻