Abd ar-Rahman III

Abd ar-Rahman III, 891-961, Umayyad emir (912-29) and first caliph (929-61) of Córdoba. When he succeeded to the throne, the Spanish emirate was reduced to Córdoba and its environs and beset with tribal warfare. Abd ar-Rahman recovered the lost provinces, consolidated the central government, and created internal peace and prosperity. He built up a strong army and navy and waged war successfully against the Fatimids in N Africa and the Christian kings of León. He made Córdoba one of the greatest cities in the West.

Bibliography

See R. Knapp, Roman Córdoba (1983).