emirate · Italy

Emirate of Sicily

831 CE – 1091 CE (approx.) · capital Palermo

Muslim Sicily, ruled from Palermo for over two centuries, which transformed the island's farming, cities and language before the Norman conquest.

Origins

In 827 the Aghlabids of Ifriqiya invaded Sicily at the invitation of the rebel Byzantine commander Euphemius. Palermo fell in 831 and became the capital, but the conquest was slow: Syracuse fell in 878, Taormina in 902 and Rometta in 965. Malta was taken in 870.

Rule and society

After Fatimid takeover in 909, the Kalbid family ruled as emirs from 948, beginning with Hasan al-Kalbi. Palermo grew into one of the largest Mediterranean cities; Ibn Hawqal counted some 300 mosques. The Arabs introduced citrus, sugar cane, cotton and new irrigation techniques. Christians and Jews lived as protected subjects, and Siculo-Arabic, the ancestor of Maltese, spread widely.

Decline and legacy

From the 1040s the emirate split among rival lords. One of them, Ibn al-Thumna, invited the Normans, and Roger I took Messina in 1061 and Palermo in 1072; Noto, the last Muslim stronghold, fell in 1091. Arab-Norman culture flourished under the Norman kings.

Lineage

Aghlabid emirate 800 CE – 909 CEEmirate of SicilyCounty of Sicily 1071 CE – 1130 CE

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Emirate of Sicily. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/emirate-of-sicily
MLA
“Emirate of Sicily.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/emirate-of-sicily. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Emirate of Sicily.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/emirate-of-sicily.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Emirate of Sicily’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/emirate-of-sicily (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻