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Gharb al-Andalus (Arabic:غرب الأندلس,trans.gharb al-ʼandalus; "west ofal-Andalus"), or justal-Gharb (Arabic:الغرب,trans.al-gharb; "the west"), was the name given by theMuslims of Iberia to the region of southern modern-dayPortugal and part of West-central modern daySpain during their rule of the territory, from 711 to 1249. This period started with the fall of theVisigothic kingdom afterTariq ibn-Ziyad's invasion of Iberia and the establishment of theUmayyad control in the territory.[1] The present dayAlgarve derives its name from this Arabic name. The region had a population of about 500,000 people.[2]
After a small civil war in the alreadyChristianizedVisigothic Kingdom inHispania, KingRoderic (Rodrigo inPortuguese andSpanish) had a strong position in the peninsula. His opponents, exiled inCeuta, askedMusa ibn Nusair,Umayyad Muslim governor and general, for help. The initially skeptical general sent an experimental expedition mainly consisting of Moors from North and West Africa, led byTariq ibn Ziyad, thus initiating the Muslim conquest of Iberia. Tariq utterly defeated Roderic's Visigothic army in theBattle of Guadalete, and soon after capturedToledo andCórdoba. With Tariq's success, Musa joined the expedition and established himself as governor of the new territories.
By 714Évora,Santarém andCoimbra had been conquered, and two years laterLisbon was in Muslim control. By 718 most of today's Portuguese territory was under Umayyad rule. The Umayyadseventually stopped between Poitiers and Tours butMuslim rule in Iberia would last until 1492 with the fall of theKingdom of Granada.
The Emirate of Córdoba lasted from 756 to 929. TheCaliphate of Córdoba lasted from 929 to 1031. It was followed by theTaifas.
The firstTaifa of Badajoz, ruled by theAftasid dynasty, existed from 1009 to 1094. TheTaifa of Lisbon lasted from 1022 to 1034, when it as annexed toTaifa of Badajoz. Lisbon was ruled byAlfonso VI of León and Castile between 1093 and 1094. The firstTaifa of Mértola lasted from 1033 to 1044, when it became part of theTaifa of Seville. TheTaifa of Santa Maria do Algarve lasted from 1018 to 1051, when it became part of theTaifa of Seville. The firstTaifa of Silves lasted from 1040 to 1063, when it became part of theTaifa of Seville. TheTaifa of Santarém lasted from 1144 to 1145, when it became part of theTaifa of Badajoz.
The Almoravid dynasty lasted from 1040 to 1147. During some of that time it ruled over what is now Southern Portugal. After a successfulsiege, Portugal gained control ofLisbon in 1147.
There were three taifas in what is now Portugal after the fall of the Almoravid dynasty: the secondTaifa of Mértola, which lasted from 1144 to 1151, the secondTaifa of Silves, which lasted from 1144 to 1151 and theTaifa of Tavira which lasted from 1146 to 1150. All three taifas became part of theAlmohad Caliphate in 1151.
The Almohad Caliphate lasted from 1121 to 1269. During much of this time, until 1249, it ruled much of what is now southern Portugal. Eventually, however, a taifa based atNiebla was founded in the last years of 1230s and controlled the region up to 1249, when theKingdom of Portugal conqueredFaro.
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