2020 - Once upon a time in Islamic Gibraltar
The al-Ubbad mosque today
Ibn Marzuq’s most important work was Musnad as-sahid al-hasan fi maʿathir mawlana Abi 'l Hasan (The Correct and Fine Traditions about the Glorious Deeds of our Master Abu l-Hasan) – or the Musnad for short. It is a work that might well be described as hagiographic. In a review of a translation into Spanish of the Musnad by María Jesus Viguera, had this to say about it.
In the Musnad, Ibn Marzuq composed a typical work, a long panegyric off the great Moroccan sultan Abu l-Hasan 1331-1351, for a typical purpose, the winning of a favour from his successors. . (The Musnad) is a mine of miscellaneous information about the period. Some of this is factual; a great deal is more about the ideals of the author and his society. The book is the description of the just prince who happens to be Abu l-Hasan.
The Sultan's achievements in Gibraltar in particular, seem to have been of particular importance to him. For example, according to the American historian, Joseph F. O’Callaghan in his book “The Gibraltar Crusade” published in 2011:
Ibn Marzuq related that when he was a student in Tlemcen his teacher announced:
“Rejoice community of the faithful, because God has had the goodness to restore Gibraltar to us.” The students erupted in cries of praise and thanksgiving and shed tears of joy."
This quote is O'Callaghan's interpretation of a Spanish translation by Viguera of the original Arabic manuscript where "Gibraltar" of the quote is referred to as Yabal al-Fath. According to Rafael Fernandez who has read the Arabic version, Marzuq never refers to Gibraltar as Yabal Tariq. He always calls it Yabal al-Fath.
Unfortunately, I am finding it difficult to lay my hands on a full copy of a translation of Marzuq’s Musnad - my quotes below come from a section of El Cádiz Islámico by Juan Abellán Pérez.
Abu l-Hasan retakes GibraltarUna vez que (Abu l-Hasan) se hubo apoderado (de Gibraltar) y la tuvo bajo su mandato, concedió primordial interés, sobre otros asuntos, a reconstruir y edificar (dicha plaza), llevando cargas de oro y profesionales (de la construcción) que empezaron por reparar la fortaleza (hisn), reforzando muros, edificios, fosos y otras construcciones, como así mismo los lugares más expuestos, levantando su aljama, y sus almacenes; mientras tanto llegaban barcos transportando grano.
“Reparar la Fortaleza” – I imagine Ibn Marzuq is referring to the Moorish Castle as left by Ferdinand IV during his ownership of the Rock. However, H.T. Norris in his Settlements has this to add about the Castle.
According to the Musnad of Ibn Marzuq, the Marinid ruler Abu l-hasan ordered the construction of two castles in Gibraltar. If one of these was the ‘Calahorra Tower’ (Tower of Homage) the location of the second has still to be discovered.
The notion that Abu l-Hasan constructed two castles in Gibraltar is backed by Leopoldo Torres Balbás in a note in his Gibraltar Guarda y Llave . . . p76
E. Lévi- Provençal, Un Nouveau texte d’histoire Mérinide : Le Musnad d'lbn Marzuk (Hespéries, V, 1925, p. 62). Según este texto, Abu l-Hasan mandó edificar dos castillos en Gibraltar.
Balbás – and I suspect Norris – has taken this from Lévi- Provençal's translation which reads as follows. (The English translation is mine)
Parmi ces châteaux, il faut citer également celui qui se trouve sur le quai dans la même ville, et deux outres du même genre à la « Montagne bien gardée » (Gibraltar).
Among these castles, we must also mention the one that is on the quay in the same city, and two extras of the same kind as the well Guarded Mountain" (Gibraltar)
“Among these castles” refers to those which Abu l-Hasan ordered to be built somewhere near Ceuta and have nothing to do with Gibraltar. In fact, Lévi’s entire translation in this article does not mention Gibraltar at all, other than the reference in brackets which the author added himself.
My interpretation is that according to Marzuq “two similar extra castles” were built in or near Ceuta in a place known as the Well Guarded Mountain.
The Musnad continues:
The Christians try to retake GibraltarAlimentos, artículos de primera necesidad y utensilios marinos y terrestres resultando en verdad motivo de asombro que tal cantidad de cosas pudieran haberse reunido en tan poco tiempo. siendo la reorganización de la vida en aquel lugar un auténtico prodigio y un timbre de honor para los musulmanes.
Cuando todo esto estuvo acabado, le plantó batalla al infiel. por tierra y por mar. reuniéndose todos los cristianos contra él y contra su victorioso ejército, cercándoles [a su vez] los musulmanes al mando del su dilecto hijo [Abu Malik]. Pero [los musulmanes] resistieron por Dios. [demostrando] la paciencia del que por Dios cumple bien con so trabajo. y asi Dios truncó las esperanzas del enemigo infiel. y para los musulmanes (gracias sean dadas a Dios) fue la victoria y el éxito.
Abu l-Hasan improves the defences of the RockComprendió entonces que debía reforzar con una muralla el flanco este del monte, rodeándole totalmente para que al enemigo no pudiera volver a ocurrírsele atacar, al no dejar posibilidad de asedio. Así lo rodeó (de defensas) completamente, como también otras partes que ahora están bien amuralladas y poseen pasadizos y torres. Y allí colocó también atalayas (maharis) y casas a todo lo largo del litoral (contando con la ayuda y el apoyo divinos), y la tierra parda, al llenarse de tantos edificios y de tan altas construcciones, parecía (desde lejos) de color blanco.
Y (Gibraltar) pasó a tener zocos y una aljama donde rezar y predicar, y baños, y se multiplicaron sus mezquitas, allí y en otras zonas de la montaña, donde se construyeron alquerías y casas, y se conmemoró todo esto construyendo la Casa del Peregrino (Hayy) para que la gente (que estuviera de viaje) pudiera alojarse allí, en el lugar en que nuestro señor (Abu l-hasan) había residido cuando cruzamos a esta parte del estrecho, sirviéndole entonces de palacio.
Construyo todas aquellas torres con gente a sueldo. [pagándole] con oro y con trigo con que todos los meses les aprovisionaba. Guarneció todas las torres y casas del monte y del pie del monte. con esforzados y valientes tropas do infantería y caballería. para las cuales dispuso, como también para sus familias e hijos, suficientes sueldos. todo lo cual se mantiene aun en nuestros días.
FDirham minted during the reign of Abu l-Hasan
Perhaps it might be appropriate to end with a quote from The Power of Oratory in the Medieval World by Linda Jones published in 2012.
“Ibn Marzuq participated in the battle of Salado" alongside his patron, the Marinid Sultan of Abu l-Hasan. Having signed a peace treaty with Castile on Abu l-Hasan’s behalf, Ibn Marzuq was undoubtedly aware of the perfidy of Alfonso XI of Castile who, after establishing a fifteen-year truce with Yusuf I, following the settlement over Algeciras, reneged on the agreement in 1349 and launched an attack upon the Muslims to gain control over the Straits of Gibraltar. “
PostScript
Rafael Fernandez has reviewed a section of the Arabic text of the Musnad that refers to Gibraltar. His rough translation confirms Marzuq’s use of the following names – Al Yazirat for Al Yazirat al Hadra, Tlmcen for Tlemcen, Yilian for Julian, Tariq b Ziyad for Tariq ibn Ziyad and Yabal al-Fath for Gibraltar.
Despite the problems of having to more or less guess the vowels involved as these are not all that clear from the manuscript, the review is particularly interesting in that it confirms that during the 14th century the Rock of Gibraltar continued to be known as Yabal al-Fath - as against Yabal Tariq.
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