Abdel Wahid bin Yazid el-Iskandarani

Abd el-Wahid bin Yazid el-Iskandarani (9th century – 851 AD), was an Egyptian vizier of the Emirate of Córdoba in the Iberian Peninsula, singer, poet, writer and military commander.

The Commander-Vizier Abdel Wahid bin Yazid el-Iskandarani is considered the most prominent Alexandrian figure to enter Al-Andalus during the era of the Umayyad dynasty. He was able, within a short period, to rise to the highest major positions in Cordoba, the capital of the Umayyads in Al-Andalus.

Confronting the Normans Commander Abdel Wahid had efforts during the Norman raid on the western coast of Al-Andalus during the reign of Prince Abd ar-Rahman II. In the year 230 AH / 844 AD, Norman ships advanced from the coast of Ashbon and the Muslims engaged in fighting with them. Then they occupied the island of Quttil near Seville and stayed there for three days, after which they headed to the village of Qawra. There, a battle took place between them and the Muslims in Qawra Fort, which resulted in the defeat of the Muslims in the fort. Then the Normans entered the town of Toliata, south of Seville, whose people were unable to withstand, and many of them were killed. As a result, they entered the city of Seville, where they rampaged through looting, killing, and vandalism, and burned the roofs of the mosque of Seville.

Prince Abd ar-Rahman II mobilized the Muslims for jihad, and a large army emerged from Cordoba, headed by the chamberlain Isa bin Shuhayd and senior commanders such as Abdel Wahid el-Iskandarani, Ibn Kulayb, and Ibn Rustum. The battle took place between the two sides, in which the Muslims remained steadfast and defeated the Normans who fled to their ships. Another battle took place in In Toledo, the Normans were defeated and about five hundred of them were killed, including their fleet commander. Thirty of their ships were burned, and after that they were forced to withdraw to Bala, and from there they headed to Ashbon, where their news ceased.

Continuing the fight against the Crusaders After the success of the Muslims in repelling that Norman raid on the coasts of Al-Andalus, Prince Abd ar-Rahman began to devote himself to continuing the fighting against the Crusaders in the north, so he sent a campaign in 234 AH / 848 AD, headed by his son Al-Mundhir, and with him in leadership was the Vizier Abdel Wahid. Ibn Al-Athir states that the objectives of this campaign were to attack the Alba region in the north, deter its inhabitants, and ward off their danger from the Andalusian borders adjacent to them. In 236 AH / 850 AD, Abd ar-Rahman II sent an army led by Abdel Wahid ibn Yazid el-Iskandarani in a disciplinary campaign against the Franks, which reached the city of Arbonne.

Death Vizier Abdel Wahid el-Iskandarani died in 237 AH / 851 AD, a year after the last campaign, recording bright pages in Andalusian history with his heroism and military contributions.

Legacy The Arab sources did not provide us with any information about the descendants of this leader except a brief reference provided by Ibn Adhari al-Marrakshi, in which he alluded to one of his grandchildren, called Abdel Wahid bin Mahammad bin Abdel Wahid el-Iskandarani, who died early in the reign of Caliph Abd al-Rahman al-Nasser in the year 309 AH. It is likely that he was a person of intelligence in the city of Cordoba, and perhaps one of the prominent figures close to the Caliph. Because Ibn Adhari only mentions in his book the deaths of important people, including ministers, writers, leaders, and scholars in the Umayyad era.