Most of theVisigothic Kingdom of Hispania wasconquered by the Umayyads in 711-18. Hispania (oral-Andalus) was organized as a single province (wilayah), with local provincial capital atCórdoba, and integrated into their empire. In the administrative structure of theUmayyad Caliphate, al-Andalus was formally a province subordinate to the Umayyad governor ofKairouan inIfriqiya, rather than directly dependent on the Umayyad Caliph inDamascus. Most of the governors (wali) of al-Andalus from 711 to 756 were provincial deputies appointed by the governor inKairouan, although a significant number of Andalusian governors during this period were chosen locally, with or without Kairouan's consent. Only one governor was a direct Caliphal appointee for Spain.
Although often characterized as "Umayyad governors", none of these dependent governors were actually members of theUmayyad family. They should not be confused with the later independent Umayyad emirs and caliphs of al-Andalus after 756 (who were indeed Umayyad family members).
Key: All appointed by governor ofIfriqiya except (*) elected internally by Andalusians; (**) appointed directly by Caliph; (***) forcibly imposed by Syrian regiments[1]
^Compiled from Gonzalo Martínez Díez,El condado de Castilla, 711-1038, p. 743; Abd al-Wahid Dhannun Taha (1989)Muslim Conquest and Settlement of North Africa and Spain, p. 183.
