The Iberian Peninsula and North Africa

Abstract

The Arab conquests in North Africa began soon after the fall of Alexandria to the army commanded by Amr ibn al-As in 21/ 642. In classical times North Africa had become a vast frontier, which stood against the sporadic attacks of peripheral Berber tribes. The fading of caliphal administration in western North Africa allowed for the re-emergence of tribal leaders who, sources claim, profited from the ideological framework of Kharijism to consolidate their rule. The Umayyads changed the physiognomy of Cordoba by erecting new buildings and fostering its extraordinary expansion. Archaeology is also a good indicator of the unrelenting Islamisation of the Iberian Peninsula. The most serious rebellions against the rule of the Aghlabids in Ifriqiya were led by members of the Arab army. It is no coincidence that both Ifriqiya and al-Andalus witnessed the proclamation of two rival caliphates in the early fourth/tenth century.

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