Ayxun ibn Sulayman ibn Yaqdhan al-Kalbi al-A'rabí ( ar, عيشون بن سليمان بن يقظان الكلبي الأعرابي‎, Aysun ben Sulayman ben Yaqdhan al-Arabí), often known as Ayxun, Aysun or Aisso, was the son of

Sulayman al-Arabi Sulayman ibn Yaqzan al-Kalbi (al-A'rabi meaning the Bedouin; full name in ar, سليمان بن يقظان الكلبي الأعرابي) was an Arab Wali (governor) of Barcelona and Girona in the year 777. For the history of al-Arabi, we must re ...

, who was the

wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

of Barcelona and Girona in the late 8th century. Aysun, together with his father

, joined

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Holy ...

's army that besieged

Zaragoza Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...

in 778. When Zaragoza failed to surrender, Charlemagne took hostages from his allies, including Sulayman. Aysun and his brother

Matruh al-Arabi Matruh ben Sulayman al-Arabi ( ar, مطروح بن سليمان بن يقظان الكلبي القضاعي الأعرابي‎) was a Wali, or governor, of Barcelona from 778 to 792. Roger Collins, ''The Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797'' (Basil B ...

were allied to the

Basques The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Bas ...

, and at the

battle of Roncesvalles The Battle of Roncevaux Pass ( French and English spelling, ''Roncesvalles'' in Spanish, ''Orreaga'' in Basque) in 778 saw a large force of Basques ambush a part of Charlemagne's army in Roncevaux Pass, a high mountain pass in the Pyrenees on th ...

they attacked the baggage train of the Frankish army in 778, releasing their father. Their father returned to Zaragoza and sent to Matruh to govern

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...

(and

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...

). However, in 780 Sulayman was killed by his former friend and

Husayn of Zaragoza Husayn of Zaragoza (in the Arabic sources ''Al Hossain ibn Yahia al Ansari ibn Saad al Obadi'' and ''Ḥusayn ibn Yaḥyà al-Anṣārī'' o ''Al-Ḥusayn ibn Yaḥyà al-Anṣārī'') was a descendant of Sa'd ibn Ubadah the companion of Muhamma ...

. As a result, Aysun gave his loyalty to the Emir of Cordoba, Abd al-Rahman I, who was seeking to impose control over the northern Iberian states. He participated in the assault on Zaragoza in 781 (that compelled to Husayn submit) and in subsequent expeditions into Basque territories and Cerdaña, moving on then to Barcelona where his brother as

Wali A wali (''wali'' ar, وَلِيّ, '; plural , '), the Arabic word which has been variously translated "master", "authority", "custodian", "protector", is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the ...

also submitted to the Emir. Aysun had two servants called Amrus (later General

Amrus ibn Yusuf 'Amrus ibn Yusuf al-Muwallad al-Laridi ( ar, عمروس بن يوسف المولد, died 808/9 or 813/4) was a Muwallad (probably of Visigothic origin) general of the Emirate of Córdoba and governor of Zaragoza. Amrus, a native of Huesca, and h ...

) and Sabrit, who after 785 served Matruh. Matruh rebelled and took Huesca and Zaragoza in about 789. However, Matruh was killed by Amrus (who became a supporter of the Emir) and Sarhabil ibn Saltan al-Zawagi in 791 or 792.

Later life

Al-Udri Al-Udri or Al-Udhri (in full ''Abu al-abbas Ahmad ibn Umar ibn Anas ibn Dilhat ibn Abu al-Jiyar Anas ibn Faladan ibn Imran ibn Munayb ibn Zugayba ibn Qutba al-Udri'', ar, أحمد بن عمر بن انس بن دله� ...

reports that Aysun was taken prisoner during the capture of Girona and sent to

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

. According to Al-Udri, Aysun later escaped with the assistance of his servant Amrus. Aysun shares his name with

Aissó Ayxun or Aissó was a nobleman who led a revolt in Barcelona, Ausona, and Girona in 826 to 827. His identity is uncertain. Aissó is thought to have been either a Goth and former lieutenant of the disposed Count Berà, or an Arab (Ayxun ibn Sulay ...

, leader of a revolt in 826. It has accordingly been suggested by historians including Al-Udri that as an elderly man Aysun escaped in the 826, to lead the revolt of the Goths and supporters of peace with the Muslims. However, there is no evidence to prove this, and it may simply have been a confusion of two different people with similar names.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aysun Walis of Barcelona 9th-century Catalan people Al-Andalus military personnel 8th-century people from al-Andalus 8th-century Arabs