Caliph of Cordoba

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The interior of the Great Mosque in Cordoba, now a Christian cathedral. The mosque, known as the Mezquita in Spanish, is one of the finest examples of Arab-Islamic architechture pioneered by the Umayyad dynasty of Spain.

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The Caliph of Cordoba ruled Islamic Spain (Al-Andalus) and North Africa from the city of Cordoba, from 929 to 1031. The title Caliph was claimed by Abd-ar-Rahman III on January 16, 929; he was previously known as the Emir of Cordoba. All Caliphs of Cordoba were members of the Ummayad dynasty; the same dynasty had held the title Emir of Cordoba and ruled over roughly the same territory since 756.

Abd-ar-Rahman I became Emir of Cordoba 6 years after his dynasty, the Ummayad, had lost the position of Caliph (held in Damascus) in 750. Abd-ar-Rahman I was on the run from persecutors for 6 years before arriving in Spain. Intent on regaining a position of power, he defeated the existing Islamic rulers of the area, and united various local fiefdoms into an emirate.

Rulers of the Emirate were content to use the title emir or sultan until the 10th century, when Abd-ar-Rahman III was faced with the threat of invasion by the Fatimids, a rival Islamic empire based in Cairo. Partially to help in his fight against the invading Fatimids, who claimed the Caliphate in opposition to the generally recognized Abbasidian Caliph of Baghdad, Rahman III claimed the title of Caliph himself. This move helped Rahman III gain prestige with his subjects, and the title was retained even after the Fatimids were repulsed.

For 100 years, the Caliph of Cordoba ruled over Spain and north Africa. This period was marked by remarkable success in trade and culture; many of the masterpieces of Islamic Spain were constructed in this period. However, the territories controlled by the Caliph of Cordoba decreased over this period.

The last Caliph of Cordoba was Hisham III, also of the Umayyad dynasty. In 1031, he died and the territories he controlled (which had by then shrunk mainly to possessions on the Iberian peninsula) fractured into a number of independent taifas. These fiefdoms continued until they were gradually pushed out by Christian forces, unable to effectively resist as independent factions.

Umayyad Emirs of Cordoba

Umayyad Caliphs of Cordoba

The Umayyad palace of Alhambra, in Granada, is one of the finest examples of the high art and culture achieved by the Islamic civilization in Spain.