Emirate of Sicily

← 948 – 1072
Italy in 1000. The Emirate of Sicily is coloured in light green.
Capital	Not specified
Government	Monarchy
Emir
- 948-964	Hassan al-Kalbi
- 990-998	Yusuf al-Kalbi
- 1017-1037	al-Akhal
- 1040-1053	Hasan as-Samsam
History
- Established	948
- Disestablished	1072

The Emirate of Sicily was a Muslim state from 948 to 1072. Authority in Sicily had been vested in emirs installed from what is present day Tunisia since 827, the island then gained the status of emirate in 948 with the kalbid dynasty. Byzantine Sicily was frequently the target of raids by Syrians, Egyptians, and Moors from North Africa. As early as 652, Saracens from Kairouan made incursions into the island. In around 700, the island of Pantelleria was captured by Moors, and it was only discord among the Arabs that prevented Sicily being next. Instead, trading arrangements were agreed and Arab merchants established themselves in Sicilian ports. Then, in 827, came the fully fledged Arab invasion. Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Palaeologus_Emperor. ... Events Otto I the Great founds missionary dioceses of Brandenburg, Havelburg, Ribe, Aarhus, and Schleswig Births Deaths Categories: 948 ... Events William I of England invades Scotland, and also receives the submission of Hereward the Wake. ... Image File history File links Italy_1000_AD.svg‎ Political map of Italy in 1000 AD (CE). ... This is a list of national capitals of the world in alphabetical order. ... Forms of government Part of the Politics series Politics Portal This box:      A monarchy, from the Greek μονος, one, and αρχειν, to rule, is a form of government that has a monarch as head of state. ... Entrance to the emirs palace in Bukhara. ... Events William I of England invades Scotland, and also receives the submission of Hereward the Wake. ... A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Turkish: Müslüman, Persian and Urdu: مسلمان, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of Islam. ... Events Otto I the Great founds missionary dioceses of Brandenburg, Havelburg, Ribe, Aarhus, and Schleswig Births Deaths Categories: 948 ... Events William I of England invades Scotland, and also receives the submission of Hereward the Wake. ... Events Succession of Pope Valentine, then Pope Gregory IV. Arabs invade Sicily. ... Events Otto I the Great founds missionary dioceses of Brandenburg, Havelburg, Ribe, Aarhus, and Schleswig Births Deaths Categories: 948 ... The Kalbids were a Muslim dynasty in Sicily, which ruled from 948 to 1053. ... Byzantine Empire at its greatest extent c. ... Sicily (Sicilia in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ...  Northern Africa (UN subregion)  geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, generally divided by the formidable barrier of the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... Events Khazaria becomes an independent state (approximate date) Rodoald succeeds his father Rothari as king of the Lombards Births Clotaire III, king of the Franks Deaths Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, uncle of Muhammed, progenitor of the Abbasids Saint Ida of Nivelles, widow of Pippin of Landen, monastic foundress Rothari... For the rugby club Saracens see Saracens (rugby club) The term Saracen comes from Greek sarakenoi. ... Mosque of Oqba Kairouan (Arabic القيروان) (variations include Kairwan, Kayrawan, Al Qayrawan) is a city in Tunisia, about 160 kilometres south of Tunis. ... // Events Saint Adamnan convinces 51 kings to adopt Cáin Adomnáin defining the relationship between women and priests. ... Country Italy Region Sicily Province Trapani (TP) Mayor Salvatore Gabriele (since May 17, 2005) Elevation 5 m Area 83 km² Population  - Total (as of December 31, 2004) 7,679  - Density 73/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Panteschi Dialing code 0923 Postal code 91017 Patron St. ... Events Succession of Pope Valentine, then Pope Gregory IV. Arabs invade Sicily. ...

It was sparked by a failed Sicilian coup against an unpopular Byzantine governor. Euphemius, a wealthy landowner, overcame the imperial garrison in Siracusa, declared himself Emperor and invited the Aghlabid Emir of Tunisia to help him. The response was a fleet of 100 ships and 10,000 troops under the command of Asad ibn al-Furat, which consisted largely of Arab, Berber and Spanish Muslims. After resistance at Siracusa, the Muslims gained a foothold in Mazara del Vallo. Palermo fell after a long siege in 831, but Siracusa held out until 878. From 842 to 859 the Arabs captured Messina, Modica, Ragusa and Enna. In 902 Taormina, the last Byzantine stronghold also fell to the Arabs and by 965 all of Sicily was under Arab control and Palermo became one of the largest cities in the world. Euphemius was a Byzantine admiral. ... Map of central Mediterranean Sea, showing location of Syracuse on the island of Sicily. ... An Aghlabid cistern in Kairuan The Aghlabid dynasty of emirs, members of the Arab tribe of Bani Tamim, ruled Ifriqiya (northern Africa), nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a century, until overthrown by the new power of the Fatimids. ... Asad ibn al-Furat (759-828) was an important jurist and theologian in Ifriqiya, who began the Muslim conquest of Sicily. ... Mazara del Vallo is a town in South-Western Sicily, Italy, which lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river, administratively part of the province of Trapani. ... For other uses, see Palermo (disambiguation). ... Events Malamir succeeds Omurtag as Khan of Bulgaria The Saracens capture Palermo. ... Events The Danes force king Alfred the Great of Wessex to retreat to a fort in Athelney, Somerset. ... Messina, Italy Strait of Messina, Italy. ... Country Italy Region Sicily Province Ragusa (RG) Mayor Pietro Torchi Lucifora (since May 28, 2002 Elevation 296 m Area 290. ... Ragusa can refer to: The city of Ragusa in Sicily, Italy. ... Enna, the ancient Haenna, is a city located in the center of Sicily in the province of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. ... Isola Bella from the North Isola Bella Bay from the south Greek theatre in Taormina Taormina is a small town in the island of Sicily in Italy. ... March 1 - Pope Leo VIII is restored in place of Pope Benedict V October 1 - Pope John XIII succeeds Pope Leo VIII as the 133rd pope. ...

As a virtually an independent emirate, Sicily played a privileged role as bridge between Africa and Europe. Trade flourished and taxes were low. The tolerant regime allowed subjects to abide by their own laws. Despite freedom of worship, Christians freely converted to Islam and there were soon hundreds of mosques in Palermo alone. A world map showing the continent of Africa. ... This article is 150 kilobytes or more in size. ...

The Arabs initiated land reforms which in turn, increased productivity and encouraged the growth of smallholdings, a dent to the dominance of the landed estates. The Arabs further borrowed Roman engineering and Persian irrigation systems. A description of Palermo was given by Ibn Hawqual, a Baghdad merchant who visited Sicily in 950. A walled suburb called the Kasr (the citadel) is the center of Palermo until today, with the great Friday mosque on the site of the later Roman cathedral. The suburb of Al-Khalisa (Kalsa) contained the Sultan's palace, baths, a mosque, government offices and a private prison. Ibn Hawqual reckoned 7,000 individual butchers trading in 150 shops. Khalisa, Palermo Al-Khalisa the districts Arabic name, meaning the purest was centre of the city of Balharm (Palermo) conquered by the Normans during a battle early in 1072. ... Košice-okolie District in the Kosice Region Kalša is a village and municipality in Košice-okolie District in the Kosice Region of eastern Slovakia. ...

The Cathedral of Palermo.

In addition to Spanish Moors and Arabs, there were Berbers, black Africans, Persians, Greeks, Jews, Slavs and Lombards. Western Sicily particularly prospered with Berbers settling in the Agrigento area coupled with Syrians and Egyptians in Palermo. In succession Sicily was ruled by the Sunni Aghlabid dynasty in Tunisia and the Shiite Fatimids in Egypt. The Byzantines took advantage of temporary discord to occupy the eastern end of the island for several years. After suppressing a revolt the Fatimid caliph appointed Hassan al-Kalbi (948-964) as Emir of Sicily. He successfully managed to control the Byzantines and founded the Kalbid dynasty. Raids into southern Italy continued under the Kalbids into the 11th century, and in 982 a German army under Otto II was defeated near Crotone in Calabria. With Emir Yusuf al-Kalbi (990-998) a period of steady decline began. Under al-Akhal (1017-1037) the dynastic conflict intensified, with factions within the ruling family allying themselves variously with Byzantium and the Zirids. By the time of Emir Hasan as-Samsam (1040-1053) the island had fragmented into several small fiefdoms. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2016x1512, 1260 KB) Summary Personal picture by Valentina Funel, september 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2016x1512, 1260 KB) Summary Personal picture by Valentina Funel, september 2005 Licensing I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... The dome and part of the apse of the Cathedral of Palermo. ... San Lorenzo. ... For other uses, see Palermo (disambiguation). ... An Aghlabid cistern in Kairuan The Aghlabid dynasty of emirs, members of the Arab tribe of Bani Tamim, ruled Ifriqiya (northern Africa), nominally on behalf of the Abbasid Caliph, for about a century, until overthrown by the new power of the Fatimids. ... The Fatimids, Fatimid Caliphate or al-Fātimiyyūn (Arabic الفاطميون) is the Shia dynasty that ruled over varying areas of the Maghreb, Egypt, and the Levant from 5 January 910 to 1171. ... The Kalbids were a Muslim dynasty in Sicily, which ruled from 948 to 1053. ... Calabria (Latin: Bruttium or Brutium), is a region in southern Italy which occupies the toe of the Italian peninsula south of Naples. ... The Zirids were a Berber dynasty, originating in Petite Kabylie among the Kutama tribe, that ruled Ifriqiya (roughly, modern Tunisia), initially on behalf of the Fatimids, for about two centuries, until weakened by the Banu Hilal and finally destroyed by the Almohads. ...

Muslim rule in Sicily slowly came to an end following an invitation by the Emirs of Catania and Siracusa for a Norman invasion. The Normans, under Count Roger de Hauteville (Altavilla) attacked Sicily in 1061, beginning a thirty year struggle against the Saracens. In 1068, Roger and his men defeated the Arabs at Misilmeri but the most crucial battle was the siege of Palermo in 1072. Following the Norman conquest, Arab influence continued to persist creating a hybrid culture on the island that has contributed much to the character of modern Sicily. Roger I (1031 – June 22, 1101), Norman ruler of Sicily, was the youngest son of Tancred of Hauteville. ... Misilmeri is a town and commune in the province of Palermo, Sicily, Italy. ...

See also

• Kalbids

The Kalbids were a Muslim dynasty in Sicily, which ruled from 948 to 1053. ...

References

M. Amari: Storia dei Musulmani di Sicilia (Italian), Le Monnier, 2002. Michele Amari (1806-1889) was an Italian patriot, born at Palermo, devoted a great part of his life to the history of Sicily, and took part in its emancipation; was an Orientalist as well; he is famous for throwing light on the true character of the Sicilian Vespers. ...