Siege of Córdoba (1009–1013) explained

The city of Córdoba in al-Andalus, under the rule of Umayyad Caliph Hisham II al-Hakam, was besieged by Berbers from November 1009 until May 1013, with the city beyond the Roman walls completely destroyed.^[1] The siege, and the massacres and sacking that followed have been linked to the decline and end of Umayyad rule.^[2]

From 1011 to 1013, the Berbers engaged in raids on the countryside as well as maintaining a blockade of Córdoba from a base at the Medina Azahara.^[3] Historian Elizabeth Nash reports that, "Berber mercenaries from North Africa stationed in Córdoba rebelled and sacked Medina Azahara, hauled down its columns, horseshoe arches and soaring vaults, demolished its elaborate water channels, bathhouses and aqueducts, plundered the ruins, then set fire to them."^[4]

During the sacks, Córdoba was looted and its Arab citizens were massacred, including many Jews.^{[5] [6] [7]} Prominent Jews in Córdoba, such as Samuel ibn Naghrela, were forced to flee the city in 1013.^{[8] [9]}

See also

• Fitna of al-Andalus
• Timeline of Jewish History
• List of massacres in Spain
• Timeline of antisemitism
• Timeline of the Muslim presence in the Iberian peninsula

References

1. • Book: Collins, Roger . Roger Collins . Caliphs and Kings: Spain, 796–1031 . London . Wiley Blackwell . 2012 . 978-1-118-73001-0. 200.
2. "By 1013 the power of Córdoba was broken and the Umayyad pretenders who struggled for the title of caliph from 1013 to 1031 had neither the military backing nor the resources to extend their transient power." Book: Luscombe, David . Cambridge University Press . 978-0-521-41410-4 . The new Cambridge medieval history . 1995 . 601 .
3. They took control of the Madinat az-Zahra and "established a base for [Sulayman's] Berber troops. From there he blockaded the city for the next two and a half years." (Book: Fletcher, Richard . University of California Press . 978-0-520-24840-3 . Moorish Spain . 2006-05-05 . 40 .)
4. Book: Nash, Elizabeth. Seville, Cordoba, and Granada: A Cultural History. 2005. Oxford University Press, USA. 9780195182040. 196. en.
5. Book: Moorish Spain. Fletcher. Richard. Fletcher. Richard A.. 2006. University of California Press. 9780520248403. 40. en.
6. Book: Kantor, Máttis . Zichron Press . 978-0-9670378-3-7 . Codex Judaica: Chronological index of Jewish history, covering 5,764 years of Biblical, Talmudic & post-Talmudic history . 2005-11-01 . 176 .
7. Benny Morris cites the killing of approximately two thousands Jews Book: Morris, Benny . Righteous victims: a history of the Zionist-Arab conflict, 1881-2001 . 1999. 184. Random House, Inc. . 978-0-679-42120-7.
8. Book: Brann, Ross . Princeton University Press . 978-0-691-14673-7 . Power in the Portrayal: Representations of Jews and Muslims in Eleventh- and Twelfth-Century Islamic Spain . 2009-12-21 .
9. Book: Rossel, Seymour . Journey Through Jewish History: The Age of Faith and the Age of Freedom . July 1983 . Behrman House, Inc . 978-0-87441-366-3 . en.