Tariq ibn Ziyad

Who was Tariq ibn Ziyad?

Tariq ibn Ziyad was a Muslim general who led the Islamic conquest of Visigothic Hispania in 711–718 A.D. He is considered to be one of the most important military commanders in Iberian history. Under the orders of the Umayyad Caliph Al-Walid I he led a large army from the north coast of Morocco, consolidating his troops at a large hill now known as Gibraltar. The name "Gibraltar" is the Spanish derivation of the Arabic name Jabal Tāriq, meaning "mountain of Tariq", named after him.