Ah-Rilah: A Tale of the Great Voyages

Cool another Andalusi TL. :)
But the name of the TL is wrong. It's Al-Rihla or A'Rihla (maghrebi/andalusi).
And it's Al-ard Almajhoola.
Alaradi Algharbia instead of Al'ardayn Algharbia.
Also PBUH is only used for prophets.
Sorry if I'm beeing too nitpicky.
 
Cool another Andalusi TL. :)
But the name of the TL is wrong. It's Al-Rihla or A'Rihla (maghrebi/andalusi).
And it's Al-ard Almajhoola.
Alaradi Algharbia instead of Al'ardayn Algharbia.
Also PBUH is only used for prophets.
Sorry if I'm beeing too nitpicky.


You can use PBUH for a non prophet, for like shaykh, it's just kind of odd. A while back I saw some Egyptian politician use it after saying Osama Bin Laden and I've heard of people use it after saying some Shaykh, usually from Sufi.
 
I was going to point out Al-Rihla and PBUH but I see someone already did.

An interesting premise but I have a feeling I already saw a TL based on this idea.
 
Cool another Andalusi TL. :)
But the name of the TL is wrong. It's Al-Rihla or A'Rihla (maghrebi/andalusi).
And it's Al-ard Almajhoola.
Alaradi Algharbia instead of Al'ardayn Algharbia.
Also PBUH is only used for prophets.
Sorry if I'm beeing too nitpicky.

No, it's not too picky. I'll go back and fix it.

You can use PBUH for a non prophet, for like shaykh, it's just kind of odd. A while back I saw some Egyptian politician use it after saying Osama Bin Laden and I've heard of people use it after saying some Shaykh, usually from Sufi.

All right, so probably not the guy who discovered Alaradi Algharbia

I was going to point out Al-Rihla and PBUH but I see someone already did.

An interesting premise but I have a feeling I already saw a TL based on this idea.

You may well have done. But then again, I've seen a million Axis victory TLs, and they (the good ones, anyway) are all different and interesting.
 
PART TWO:
In which are contained Chronicles of the Glorious Reign Abd-ar-Rahman III, and how he Ended the Abominable Rebellion of Umar ibn Hafsun, and how he Expanded the Dominions of Algharbia

Continued from the Kitab Qadim W'alealam Aljadid W'tarikhiha

The ascension of Abd-ar-Rahman III "the Magnificent" to the throne of Cordoba is somewhat paradoxical, if one knew not the circumstances. He was born the year after the First Great Voyage, and he was not one of al-Umawi's sons, but the son of the emir's first son, Muhammad who the emir had killed. His mother was a Christian concubine called Muzayna. Nevertheless, ar-Rahman was the chosen heir to the kingdom. He was raised and reared in his mother's harem, and taught it the ways of statecraft by his sister, known as al-Sayyida, "the Woman." He was possessed of white skin, blue eyes and an attractive face. It is said that he was handsome, although somewhat sturdy and stout. His legs were short, to the point that the stirrups of his saddle were mounted just one palm under it. When mounted, he looked tall, but on his feet he was quite short. He dyed his beard black. For this description, I am indebted to ibn Idhari, may he be blessed....

The old emir passed away at the age of 72. For years, ar-Rahman had been his favorite; he was allowed to reside in the emir's tower, something none of the emir's own sons were allowed to do. Thus, it was no surprise that he was the chosen heir, a thing cemented by the fact that he was given the total signet ring before his antecedent's death. He inherited the realm, such as it was, when he was 21 years of age. Cordoba was in an awful state at this point. The insidious Christian kings of Asturias was attempting to destroy all Muslim influence on the peninsula, and to the south sat the dastardly Idrisids and the Egyptian Fatimids. Finally, the realm was rocked by internal insurgencies; not just the exploits of Umar ibn Hafsun, but also revolting petty emirs, as well...

ar-Rahman was determined to do a number of things during his reign. First and foremost, he wished to stabilize his realm, defeat the myriad rebellions, and centralize it as well. Finally, he was fascinated by Algharbia, and thus, he was determined to expand Cordoban influence in the new world. To further the first set of goals, he began hunting the rebellions; within the first ten days of his rule, he had exhibited a rebel's head in the capital. He also began leading expeditions to the realms of the southern tribes to keep them under control...

Beginning in the year 300, an army of the new emir's, led by the eunuch amir Badr, began seizing the rebel city of Écija, which was quite near the capital. He then personally began an expedition to the south, where he subjugated the rebel muladi lords of Jaén and Elvira. Meanwhile, a cavalry detachment was sent to free the city of Málaga from ibn Hafsun's siege. The emir also retook the city of Fiñana. After this, he advanced to the castle of Juviles in the Alpujarras region. After a short siege, the muladi lords surrendered.

He also took advantage of dynastic feuds within the Banu Hayyay lords of Seville and Carmona, to force their ultimate submission to the capital. After gaining the support of the lord of Carmona, Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Hayyay (fie upon him!), the Sevillan lord's cousin, the Cordoban forces surrounded Sevilla. The Sevillan lord requested assistance from ibn Hafsun (again, fie!), but he had been defeated, and returned to Bobastro. Finally, ar-Rahman went to the south, to retake the cities of Granada, Elvira, and Jaen, held by ibn Hafsun. Meanwhile, in middle 301, the city of Seville surrendered; Ibn al-Mundir al-Qurays, later the Vizier of al-Anawaq, was appointed as the city's governor, and ibn Hayyay as vizier. However, his duplicity was soon discovered after he had held the post for a single day...

After defeating most of the rebellious muladis in glorious combat, the emir's next objective was to defeat the evil Umar ibn Hafsun. In late 301, the troops advanced on the rebel strongholds of Turrus and Balda, taking them. He continued on to Bobastro, then to Málaga, the siege of which took only a day. Finally, they went on to Suhayl and Algeciras, where the rebellious lords were subdued. By the end of 301, nearly all of the rebel castles had been subdued. In desperation, the thrice-cursed Umar ibn Hafsun fled to the Fatimid capital of Raqqada with his three sons, Ja'far, 'Abd-ar-Rahman and Hafs. (The Fatimids were supporters of the rebellion.)

The glorious emir politely demanded the rebel be returned to the realm to face justice. However, the Fatimids refused. With the realm centralized and stabilized, rallied behind the rightful emir, the time for war was ripe. In early 302, war was declared. This began the Great Maghreb War.

***********************************************

From A History of Algharbian Colonization During the Reign of Abd-ar-Rahman III by Dr. Yahya ibn David, al-Najed University, 1434

A variety of diverse tactics were used in the subjugation of the Algharbian landmass. Most noteworthy here are those use for the conquest of al-Anawaq. The first and foremost of these was simple, bloodthirsty, combat. The Toltaq Empire, the former dominators of the al-Anawaqi continent, were greatly inclined towards one-on-one combat, as was required by their faith, and the Cordoban mubarizun were more than happy to comply. They saw it as honorable. Mubarizun, famed warriors of great lineage, were used as duelists to gain morale. Whensoever a Toltaq leader agreed to this, though, it would prove disastrous, for they had no metal, and thus, no steel swords. Even the least warrior could overcome their weapons, made of wood, stone, feathers, blood and obsidian. These duels, while not particularly destructive from an army standpoint, would often be great morale boosts to the Cordoban men. The Toltaqs were extremely disciplined; their empire was nearly a stratocracy, but their morale could go just as quickly as the average mamluke.

When this first stage of battle was over, and when the formal fighting began, the army relied on light swordsmen to middle infantry, highly zealous and courageous, the kind of men who would advance in battle. Cordoban armies often used the tactic of using quick, coordinated and deadly strikes under heavy arrow fire to devastate their foes. The Toltaqs, in addition to having no steel, were entirely bereft of horses, or cavalry in general. Thus, the use of said (namely, horses and camels) proved to be a massive advantage, both tactically and psychologically. Toltaq troops had never seen anything like a horse or a camel, and these creatures often paralyzed armies with terror. Camels were the particular hatred of the Toltaq divisions. The beasts were large and bizarre in appearance, and their odor was unlike anything these men had ever known. Thus, they often drew the particular ire of the Toltaqs. However, the horse-mounted cavalry of Al-Andalus was its particularly pride. The Berber men were far more fearsome and deadly than a normal contingent, and more experienced. These groups would often play pivotal roles striking against Toltaq positions...

But when the battle was done, the generals had better plans. The depopulated areas they would give to ersatz tribes, composed of those who had been disgraced in battle or committed crimes, or merely volunteers. These tribes, called "al-alaistinaeia," or false, were given autonomy to wage war as they wished; they could conduct their own further invasions as they wished into Toltaq territory however they liked. "Baqiyyah wa-Tatamaddad" was the name of the war. They were to remain in territory, and expand continuously at all costs, for there was no rest in conquest. The alaistinaeia were allowed to move as they pleased, and greta numbers of these made it monstrously difficult for the enemy to respond, for they were forced to defend everywhere, but this same defense was broken as well, unresponsive. This system assured victory...

Meanwhile, a more subtle tactic was used. While the actual existence of ashya saghirih [microbes] was unknown back then, a number of scientists had ideas about it, and these ideas were not unknown to the colonial classes. In other words, biological warfare, or at least an early version of it, was used. It is a definite fact that during the conquest of al-Titeniza that gifts were given to the local princes, laden with disease, which served to aid the siege. But even it was used without malicious intent. The Toltaqs had never developed a resistance to the diseases of Cordoba, and thus, these often proved devastating to the Toltaq regiments and civilians, killing thousands without any swords.
 
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Cool another Andalusi TL. :)
But the name of the TL is wrong. It's Al-Rihla or A'Rihla (maghrebi/andalusi).
And it's Al-ard Almajhoola.
Alaradi Algharbia instead of Al'ardayn Algharbia.
Also PBUH is only used for prophets.
Sorry if I'm beeing too nitpicky.

Yeah, no... If you want to get THAT technical about it, they (the aristocratic explorer and sultan) would probably still be speaking Classical Arabic, and the only proper way to spell it would be الرحلة.

When it comes to Romanization, pretty much anything is fair game as long as you're communicating the pronunciation more or less accurately. Both Al-Rihla and A'Rihla are fine in that regard, but Ah-Rihla(h) would be fine too.
Personally, I like 1-1 grapheme correspondence (with maybe a few embellishments for indicating altered pronunciation), so I'd go with something like Ał-Riḥlä... But don't worry too much about it, OW... Focus first and foremost on the interesting TL :)
 
I really like how you conveyed Abd-Ar-Rahman III, an exceptional king. Also has Umar ibn Hafsun converted to Christianity ITTL?
 
I really like how you conveyed Abd-Ar-Rahman III, an exceptional king. Also has Umar ibn Hafsun converted to Christianity ITTL?

Thanks. Almost all of that is per OTL, but not the war with the Fatimids. Yes, ibn Hafsun converted; I think I mentioned it.
 
PART THREE:
In which are contained Chronicles of the Great Maghreb War, Fought between the Sons of Uthman and of Fatima; and of the Cordoban Victory

From A History of the Great Maghreb War by Dr. Touma ibn Muhammad, al-Khalij University, 1435

The Great Maghreb War, was not, as is popularly believed, merely fought to recover the traitor Umar ibn Hafsun from the Fatimids. Rivalry between the Cordoban and Fatimid emirates had been building since the latter's establishment. This merely provided a convenient cassus belli for starting a war to assert dominance over the North African state. The Idrisids made common cause with the Fatimids against the encroaching Iberian power, for while the two had plenty of animosity towards each other, they both were threatened by Cordoba. Meanwhile, the Abbasids, the major Muslim power of the time, merely looked on dumbly. The first sparks of this fire of war had been lit by the Fatimids, and now, they would be burnt by it.

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The shape of the Old World at the outbreak of the Great Maghreb War.

Of course, the most convenient foe for the Cordoban force, led by Abd-ar-Rahman III himself, to tackle was the Idrisids, as they were merely a strait away. The Idrisid force, led by the emir of the time, Yahya ibn Idris ibn Umar, took Tariq [Gibraltar] during the first days of the war, and thus, the Andalusians had to retake it as the first order of strategy. The army of Cordoba, led by Said ibn al-Mundhir, ar-Rahman's vizier, retook the island after a rather short, but very bloody siege. Then, they advanced into the Maghreb. First came the Battle of Tangier. This bloodily conflict had hundreds of deaths on both sides, but al-Mundhir's army was victorious. The Fatimids, meanwhile, were blockading the Iberian peninsula and sending troops to Fez as reinforcements.

The Fatimids conceived of yet another idea to hurt Cordoba where it could not defend. They dispatched a small contingent of elite soldiers, who they sent to the Algharbian possessions, in an attempt to seize them. This contingent's mere existence was an intense secret, and it was a great priority as well, for the caliph put his own son, Al-Qa'im bi-Amr Allah, in command of them. As it was absurd to sail from Egypt, they would sail through the Mediterranean to the Idrisid port city of Salé, from whence they would mount the invasion of Algharbia. Their ship made it to Salé all right, but it wrecked horribly days after leaving Europe, nowhere near the ship's western goal. Legends persist, though, that they, polarized for evil, and with evil souls, still haunt this earth, for they were denied passage to the next world. This legend of ustul alshshabh, the ghost fleet, is an educing one, but it is utterly nonsensical. No ghuls were aboard the fleet, nor djinn. Some alttarikh albadil [alternate history] scribes use this to create Cordoban destruction and Fatimid ascendancy, but that is preposterous.

But more conventionally, general medieval war tactics were used. Battles were fought nearly in every major city in the Maghreb, but that is not to say that there were no invaders in Cordoba. A number of battles were fought, but most were simple victories, or impermanent defeats, towns and castles raised from the foreign yoke after brief occupations. Perhaps the most famous of these was the Battle of Almeria. This is well-known probably because of the alleged fact that the Jomsvikings fought in the battle, side by side with Muslim forces. This is most likely a rumor, but it is a documented fact that Norse warriors fought in the battle. The battle was a fierce one, and a loss for the Cordobans.

However, even setbacks like this did little to turn the war's tide to the Fatimite-Idrisid favor. By 304, the Idrisid capital of Fez had fallen, for the Cordoban army was greatly supplemented with mercenaries bought with Algharbia's riches. The Idrisid emir of the time, ibn Umar, under significant duress, sued for peace there, promising fealty, men, and tribute to the emir of Cordoba. This marked the eventuality of Andalusian victory.

The last main battle of the Great Maghreb War was fought in middle 305, in Tunisia. Both Abd-ar-Rahman III and the Fatimid caliph, Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah, sick and tired of war, sued for peace. Other than the annexation of the former Idrisid realm, little else was achieved, save gold, but this was the death knell of the Fatimite realm, which disintegrated into warring petty emirates within a year.

After this last great assumption of power, Abd-ar-Rahman did the unthinkable. He assumed the title of Caliph.
 
Caliph?

He must confidant as heck?

That's bold as hell.

No, that's actually per OTL. In 929, Abd-ar-Rahman did assume the title of Caliph of Cordoba (since he was an Umayyad, and they had a more legitimate claim than the Abbasids, yadda yadda) whereas ITTL, he does it about a decade earlier, seeing as though he's more powerful.
 
No, that's actually per OTL. In 929, Abd-ar-Rahman did assume the title of Caliph of Cordoba (since he was an Umayyad, and they had a more legitimate claim than the Abbasids, yadda yadda) whereas ITTL, he does it about a decade earlier, seeing as though he's more powerful.


Yes, in time however Umayyads will have the greatest claim once the Abbasid completely falls out on its own decadence. Does the Umayyad have contact with the Abbasid in this TL? If so its Ulema must condemn the Abvasid for its weakness and this give power unto the Umayyad once more and send letters to Iraq, urging the Ulema there to make Hijra to Andalus.
 
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No, that's actually per OTL. In 929, Abd-ar-Rahman did assume the title of Caliph of Cordoba (since he was an Umayyad, and they had a more legitimate claim than the Abbasids, yadda yadda) whereas ITTL, he does it about a decade earlier, seeing as though he's more powerful.

Did not know that.
 
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