Emirate of Crete: Map & History
The Emirate of Crete was an Arab Islamic state that existed on the Mediterranean island of Crete from the late 820s to the reconquest of the island by the Byzantine Empire in 961.
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The Emirate of Crete was an Arab Islamic state that existed on the Mediterranean island of Crete from the late 820s to the reconquest of the island by the Byzantine Empire in 961. Although the emirate recognized the suzerainty of the Abbasid Caliphate and maintained close ties with Tulunid Egypt, it was de facto independent.
Emirate of Crete in Depth
History
Crete had been raided by Muslim forces since the first wave of the Muslim conquests in the mid-7th century. It first experienced a raid in 654 and then another in 674/675, and parts of the island were temporarily occupied during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph al-Walid I (r. 705–715). However, the island at that time was not conquered and despite occasional raids in the 8th century, it remained securely in Byzantine hands; Crete was too far from the Arab naval bases in the Levant for an effective expedition to be undertaken against it.
At some point in the second half of the reign of Byzantine Emperor Michael II (r. 820–829), a group of Andalusian exiles landed on Crete and began its conquest. These exiles had a long nomadic history.
Legacy
This early Muslim period of Crete remains relatively obscure due to a paucity of surviving evidence regarding its internal history. Furthermore, other than a few place names recalling the presence of the Arabs, no major archaeological remains from the period survive, possibly due to deliberate Byzantine destruction after 961. This has influenced the way the emirate is generally regarded: scholars, forced to rely mostly on Byzantine accounts, have traditionally viewed the Emirate of Crete through a Byzantine lens as a quintessential "corsair's nest", surviving on piracy and the slave trade.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Emirate of Crete (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Emirate of Crete: Key Facts
| Capital | Heraklion |
|---|---|
| Founded | 820s CE |
| Dissolved | 961 CE |
Preceded by
- Byzantine Crete
Succeeded by
- Byzantine Crete
Facts from Wikidata Q603771 (CC0).
Emirate of Crete Map Over Time
Dated world maps on which Emirate of Crete appears, with the other states of the time.
Emirate of Crete: Frequently Asked Questions
When did Emirate of Crete exist?
Emirate of Crete is dated to 830 CE – 960 CE, in the Early Middle Ages era.
What was the capital of Emirate of Crete?
The capital of Emirate of Crete was Chandax.
How large was Emirate of Crete at its peak?
At its peak in 960 AD Emirate of Crete covered about 5,499 km².
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