PrintFollowing on from the stories of the conquest of al-Andalus, this post presents a translation of a continuous medieval Arabic narrative account of the first governors of al-Andalus following the initial conquest in 711 CE, beginning with Abd al-Aziz bin Musa (the son of the Muslim general Musa bin Nusayr, a key figure in the initial conquest) and ending with Yusuf al-Fihri by 755 CE. Nominally, these governors were serving as provincial governors for the Umayyad Caliphate based out of Syria (al-Sham), but as becomes clear from this narrative and elsewhere, by the time of Yusuf al-Fihri, al-Andalus had become virtually independent, as the centre of power in the East was preoccupied with internal strife, and the appointment of al-Andalus' governor was entirely a local affair. In this particular narrative, Yusuf is portrayed as largely a figurehead for a local notable seen as exercising the real power in Iberia: namely, al-Sumayl bin Hatim. In general, this period of al-Andalus is interesting for its multiple internal conflicts, whether in the form of Arabs versus Berbers or internal Arab conflict taking tribal and regional dimensions. There are also familiar themes of waging jihad against infidels and conquest and booty.
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https://www.aymennaltamimi.com/p/the-first-governors-of-al-andalus