Abd ar-Rahman III Becomes Emir

Date: October 16, 912 • Location: Rome, Italy

Abd ar-Rahman III becomes the eighth Emir of Córdoba.

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam ibn Hishām ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Marwānī al-Umawī al-Qurashī, or simply ʿAbd al-Raḥmān III, was the eighth and final Emir of Córdoba from 912 to 929. In 929, he elevated the emirate to the Caliphate of Córdoba, serving as its first caliph until his death. Abd al-Rahman won the laqab (sobriquet) al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh in his early 20s when he supported the Maghrawa Berbers in North Africa against Fatimid expansion and later claimed the title of Caliph for himself. His half-century reign was known for its religious tolerance.