The relationship between Gibraltar and Muslims is centuries old

The relationship between Gibraltar and Muslims is centuries old

In the extreme south of Europe's Iberian Peninsula, there is a strip of land along the Mediterranean Sea, small in area, but historically significant because of its location. It is located between the two largest oceans in the world. On one side is Europe and on the other side in Africa. This is the reason why every powerful nation in history wanted to dominate this region. There is still some form of a struggle between various powers for control of this strategically important region. This area is also a monument of the eternal age of Muslims because it is in this area that Muslims established their foothold centuries ago under the leadership of a great and famous general and ruled here for many centuries and then spread throughout Spain. But then what happened when this rule of many centuries ended, who were the Muslims who settled here? Which countries are still in this area? Contradictory? In today's video, we will know all this.

Gibraltar - Location

Friends, this piece of land is called Gibraltar. Today this area of 6.8 square kilometers is administered by the United Kingdom. This area is located at the junction of the two major continents of the world, Europe and Africa. It borders the Andalusian province of Spain in the north. While the distance from Gibraltar to the African country of Morocco is also very short. Gibraltar is located on the Strait of Gibraltar. 

This strait separates Africa and Europe while connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. A strait is a small passage of water that connects two large oceans. That is, Gibraltar is very important in terms of maritime traffic. Friends, Gibraltar is a British overseas territory with a population of about 34,000, but it has a separate parliament and governor, who elect its chief minister, and the chief minister is the head of their government. This area is not an island but a peninsula. That is, it has water on three sides, in English such a part of the earth is called Peninsula. The area is famous for a huge mountain found here, called Gibraltar or the Rock of Gibraltar. Let us tell you an interesting fact the original name of Gibraltar in Arabic is Jabal al Tariq. Over time the name was corrupted to Gibraltar. Let's know how Gibraltar got its name.

Gibraltar and the Muslim Golden Age

Friends, according to historical records this area of Gibraltar was empty before the 8th century. No human population ever lived here. In those days, the Caliph of the Muslims was Alwaleed Ibn Abdul Malik I of Banu Umayyad. In those days North Africa was also ruled by Muslims and the entire region was called Afrikaya. The Muslims wanted to increase their power and now they turned their attention to the Hispania region i.e. present-day Spain and Portugal. On the instructions of the Umayyad Caliph, Musa Ibn Nasir, the governor of Africa, ordered the Muslim African commander Tariq bin Ziyad to prepare an army. Tariq bin Ziyad had shown his bravery in many battles before. On April 27, 711, he crossed the sea with his 7,000 soldiers and landed on a piece of land near Spain which was the territory of Gibraltar. According to historians, he ordered his convoy to burn all the boats here as there was no way back. He said to his companions, "O my Mujahideen! The sea is behind you and the enemy is ahead. Where will you flee? Now there is only one way left to fight bravely and steadfastly. And then it happened, the Muslims took Gibraltar as their own." Made a base camp. Advancing from here, he bravely fought the Spanish army and established his rule over the whole of Spain within a few years.

The first human settlement in Gibraltar was also established by Tariq bin Ziyad. That is why the 10th-century Arab geographer Ibn Hawqal used the name Jabal al-Tarq for the region, meaning Mount of Tariq. And from here it was called Gibraltar. In the 11th century, Spain was ruled by the Muhaddith, a group of African Muslims. Gibraltar began to gain importance during his reign. Before that, Gibraltar was considered part of Spain. Abd al-Mu'min bin Ali, the head of the Muhadditheen, took charge of the construction and development of Gibraltar. Its name was changed to Madinah al-Fatah. It is the city of victory. While the famous mountain here was named Jabal Al-Fatah. Within six months, Gibraltar had become the most luxurious city of its time. A mosque was built here. The palaces were built for the current ruler Abdul Momin and his sons. And so other buildings were established. A drainage system was also built in the city. Wherever there were natural waterfalls, rivers, etc., they were all connected to a big canal by making small canals. From here, the water will be pumped into a central reservoir that will meet the water needs of E's people and animals.

At the entrance of the city, a magnificent gate was built, which was named Bab al-Fatah. Beautiful gardens were also created outside of Gibraltar. But friends, there was still a lot of construction and development work to be done in the city. Abd al-Momin assigned this responsibility to a well-known engineer from Malaga, Spain. Many talented people were also invited here. He also built a windmill on the top of the mountain during his stay in Gibraltar. It is also said that he built several other machines of various types during this period. After staying in Gibraltar for some time, Abd al-Mu'min handed over his work to his son and returned to Africa. Now Gibraltar had become the stronghold of Islam. It was no longer a desolate wilderness. The eyes of the Muslims of Africa and Andalusia were now focused on Gibraltar.

 At the beginning of the 14th century, Gibraltar came under the control of the Banu Marin, a Muslim group from Morocco. Now the problem was that different Muslim groups had become victims of war among themselves. This was taken advantage of by the Christians of Castile, present-day Spain, and from 1399 to 1333 Gibraltar came under Spanish control. The ruler of Morocco, Abu al-Hassan, took back this possession in 1333 and immediately began to establish his foothold here. For this purpose, they established a strong wall around Gibraltar. Built different forts. But the most interesting thing was done by the next ruler, Abu Annan. He is said to have been so serious about Gibraltar that he ordered a model of Gibraltar to be built. Forts, walls, gates, mosques, etc. in all minarets are the original ones. This Gibraltar model was also built and was considered a fine example of craftsmanship at the time. Onlookers were stunned. Until the end of the fourteenth century and the beginning of the fifteenth century, Gibraltar remained a toy in the hands of various Muslim groups. It was finally captured by the Spanish Christians in 1462. And so ended the golden age of Muslims in Gibraltar.

The problem between Great Britain and Spain

Friends, Britain is about twenty-two hundred kilometers by land from Gibraltar, and Gibraltar shares borders with Spain, so Spain wanted Gibraltar under its control. In 1744, Britain attacked and occupied Gibraltar. Spain tried to counterattack but was unsuccessful and in 1713 Gibraltar was ceded to Britain under a treaty. Despite this treaty, Spain attacked Gibraltar again in 1727. However, this time they returned unsuccessfully. However, Britain has now begun to strengthen its defenses on Gibraltar, with fortifications around it being strengthened.

But friends, all these measures did not work and in 1779, Spain and France entered their forces in Malkar Gibraltar. There was widespread destruction in the city of Gibraltar. The British army was outnumbered here but they fought hard. Their soldiers penetrated the Spanish lines, killing many of their soldiers, and destroying their weapons and ammunition. The Spanish army was overwhelmed by this surprise attack. Similarly, fireballs were fired at the Spanish warships. The war ended in 1783 and Britain was once again victorious. Gibraltar was very important to Britain because of its maritime location. From here he could monitor the water traffic of different countries. During World War II, most of Gibraltar's population was sheltered in nearby countries, and Britain, along with its allies, used it as a military base.

Later, the importance of Gibraltar increased after the construction of the Suez Canal. Perhaps that is why British rule over Gibraltar was still shaky. That they want to remain attached to Spain or are satisfied with Britain. The result went in favor of Great Britain. Spain then closed its borders and all routes with Gibraltar, but these routes were reopened in 1985. A referendum was held again in November 2002 and the people of Gibraltar voted once again to remain with the UK. Gibraltar has also recently been officially granted the status of a British city. A British naval base still exists here. The border between Gibraltar and Spain remains open and traffic continues through it. The national language here is English, although people also speak Spanish. Most of Gibraltar

Friends, Gibraltar is a mirror of the rise and fall of Muslims. After ruling here for centuries, the Muslims lost this important region due to their differences. Four percent of Gibraltar's total population is still Muslim. For these Muslims, King Fahd bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia built a very beautiful mosque in Gibraltar as a gift in the 1990s. It also holds the distinction of being the largest mosque in a non-Muslim country. The minarets of this white marble mosque still echo today, reminding us of Gibraltar that used to be Gibraltar