Page "Abd-ar-Rahman III" Paragraph 7

He first had to suppress the rebel Umar ibn Hafsun.

On 1 January 913 an army, led by the eunuch Badr, conquered the fortress of Écija, at some 50 km from the capital.

All the city's fortifications were destroyed, aside from the citadel, which was left as residence of the governor and a garrison for the emiral troops.

In the following spring, after sixty-five days of meticulous preparations, Abd ar-Rahman personally led an expedition to the south of his realm.

His troops were able to recover the coras ( provinces ) of Jaén and Elvira, while a cavalry detachment was sent to free Málaga from ibn Hafsun's siege.

He also obtained the capitulation of Fiñana ( in the modern province of Almería ), after setting fire to its suburbs.

Subsequently he moved against the castle of Juviles in the Alpujarras.

After devastating its countryside to deprive it of any resource, he encircled it.

Finding it difficult to bombard with catapults, he ordered the construction of a platform where his siege weapons could be mounted to greater effect, and cut the water supply.

The Muladi defenders surrendered after a few days: their lives, apart from fifty-five die-hards who were beheaded, were spared in exchange of their allegiance to the emir.

The campaign continued in a similar vein, lasting for a total of ninety days.

Abd ar-Rahman forced the defeated Muladi to send hostages and treasures to Córdoba, in order to secure their continued submission.