other · Iberia

Al-Andalus (Umayyad province)

711 CE – 756 CE · capital Córdoba

Iberia as a province of the Umayyad Caliphate of Damascus, ruled by governors from 711 until Abd al-Rahman I founded an independent emirate.

Origins

In 711 Tariq ibn Ziyad crossed from North Africa with a mainly Berber army and defeated the Visigothic king Roderic near the Guadalete. His superior Musa ibn Nusayr followed in 712, and within a few years most of the peninsula had been conquered, often by treaties with local lords such as Theodemir of Tudmir.

Rule and society

Al-Andalus was governed by walis appointed from Kairouan or Damascus, first from Seville and from around 716 from Córdoba. Christians and Jews kept their faith in return for tribute. Raids pushed into Gaul until Abd al-Rahman al-Ghafiqi was defeated near Poitiers in 732. Tensions between Arabs and Berbers erupted in the Berber revolt of 740, after which Syrian troops under Balj settled in the south.

Decline and legacy

Rival Arab factions fought for power in the 740s and 750s. After the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads in 750, the Umayyad prince Abd al-Rahman reached al-Andalus, took Córdoba in 756 and founded the Emirate of Córdoba.

Lineage

Visigothic Kingdom 418 CE – 721 CEAl-Andalus (Umayyad province)Emirate of Córdoba 756 CE – 929 CE

Connections (3)

  • Al-Andalus (Umayyad province) was a province of Umayyad Caliphate711 CE – 750 CE
  • Tudmir paid tribute to Al-Andalus (Umayyad province)713 CE – 756 CE
  • Banu Qasi was a vassal of Al-Andalus (Umayyad province)714 CE – 756 CE

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Al-Andalus (Umayyad province). In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/al-andalus-umayyad-province
MLA
“Al-Andalus (Umayyad province).” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/al-andalus-umayyad-province. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Al-Andalus (Umayyad province).” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/al-andalus-umayyad-province.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Al-Andalus (Umayyad province)’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/al-andalus-umayyad-province (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻