Sulayman al-Arabi
Encyclopedia
Sulayman ibn Yaqzan al-Arabi (al-Kalbi) was Wali
(governor) of Barcelona
and Girona
in the year 777.
For the history of al-Arabi, we must rely on the Muslim historian Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad (1160-1233), also known as Ali ‘izz ad-Din ibn al-Athir al-Jazari, who wrote four centuries after the fact.
According to Ibn al-Athir, threatened by Abd ar-Rahman I
, the Umayyad
emir of Córdoba, al-Arabi sent a delegation to Charlemagne
in Paderborn
, offering his submission, together with the allegiance of Husayn of Zaragoza
and Abu Taur of Huesca
in return for military aid. As a result Charlemagne marched across the Pyrenees
toward Zaragoza
in 778, joined by troops led by Sulayman.
Husayn of Zaragoza, however, refused to surrender the city, claiming that he had never promised Charlemagne his allegiance. After a month of siege Charlemagne decided to return to his kingdom, taking some hostages from his Muslim allies including Sulayman.
On his retreat, Charlemagne suffered an attack from the Basques
in central Navarra
. As a reprisal he attacked Pamplona
, conquering it. However on his retreat north his baggage train was ambushed at Roncesvalles
August 15, 778. The children of Sulayman, Aysun al-Arabi
and Matruh al-Arabi collaborated with the Basques in the assault which resulted in the release of their father.
Sulayman returned to Zaragoza where, in 780, he was killed by his former friend and ally Husayn of Zaragoza.
These historical events are assumed to be part of the factual nucleus around which was eventually formed, by centuries of oral tradition on the Christian side, The Song of Roland
, which was to have an immense importance in the Medieval culture of France and the whole of Christian Western Europe. It did not, however, make a comparable deep and lasting impression on the Muslim side.
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
(governor) of Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
and Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
in the year 777.
For the history of al-Arabi, we must rely on the Muslim historian Abu al-Hassan Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Muhammad (1160-1233), also known as Ali ‘izz ad-Din ibn al-Athir al-Jazari, who wrote four centuries after the fact.
According to Ibn al-Athir, threatened by Abd ar-Rahman I
Abd ar-Rahman I
Abd al-Rahman I, or, his full name by patronymic record, Abd al-Rahman ibn Mu'awiya ibn Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan was the founder of the Umayyad Emirate of Córdoba , a Muslim dynasty that ruled the greater part of Iberia for nearly three centuries...
, the Umayyad
Umayyad
The Umayyad Caliphate was the second of the four major Arab caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. It was ruled by the Umayyad dynasty, whose name derives from Umayya ibn Abd Shams, the great-grandfather of the first Umayyad caliph. Although the Umayyad family originally came from the...
emir of Córdoba, al-Arabi sent a delegation to Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
in Paderborn
Paderborn
Paderborn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. The name of the city derives from the river Pader, which originates in more than 200 springs near Paderborn Cathedral, where St. Liborius is buried.-History:...
, offering his submission, together with the allegiance of Husayn of Zaragoza
Husayn of Zaragoza
Husayn of Zaragoza , Wali of Zaragoza, which is now the Spanish province of Aragón, from 774 to 781.-Events during the rule of Husayn:...
and Abu Taur of Huesca
Abu Taur of Huesca
Abu Taur was the Wali of Huesca in 777, who joined Sulayman al-Arabi in offer his submission to Charlemagne and collaborated with Frankish forces in the unsuccessful assault on Zaragoza in 778. It has been suggested that he may be identical to Abu Tawr ibn Qasi, son of the eponymous ancestor of...
in return for military aid. As a result Charlemagne marched across the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
toward Zaragoza
Zaragoza
Zaragoza , also called Saragossa in English, is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain...
in 778, joined by troops led by Sulayman.
Husayn of Zaragoza, however, refused to surrender the city, claiming that he had never promised Charlemagne his allegiance. After a month of siege Charlemagne decided to return to his kingdom, taking some hostages from his Muslim allies including Sulayman.
On his retreat, Charlemagne suffered an attack from the Basques
Basque people
The Basques as an ethnic group, primarily inhabit an area traditionally known as the Basque Country , a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France.The Basques are known in the...
in central Navarra
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
. As a reprisal he attacked Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, conquering it. However on his retreat north his baggage train was ambushed at Roncesvalles
Roncesvalles
Roncesvalles is a small village and municipality in Navarre, northern Spain. It is situated on the small river Urrobi at an altitude of some 900 metres in the Pyrenees, about 8 kilometres from the French frontier....
August 15, 778. The children of Sulayman, Aysun al-Arabi
Aysun
Aysun was the son of Sulayman al-Arabi Aysun, together with his father Sulayman al-Arabi, joined Charlemagne's army that besieged Zaragoza in 788...
and Matruh al-Arabi collaborated with the Basques in the assault which resulted in the release of their father.
Sulayman returned to Zaragoza where, in 780, he was killed by his former friend and ally Husayn of Zaragoza.
These historical events are assumed to be part of the factual nucleus around which was eventually formed, by centuries of oral tradition on the Christian side, The Song of Roland
The Song of Roland
The Song of Roland is the oldest surviving major work of French literature. It exists in various manuscript versions which testify to its enormous and enduring popularity in the 12th to 14th centuries...
, which was to have an immense importance in the Medieval culture of France and the whole of Christian Western Europe. It did not, however, make a comparable deep and lasting impression on the Muslim side.