Abd al-Malik ibn Qatan al-Fihri () was an

Umayyad The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by the ...

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

governor of

Al-Andalus Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...

during two periods from 732 to 734 and from 740 to 742. Abd al-Malik was a very wealthy member of a noble Arab family from the Hejaz. Spurred by critics who decried his lack of military victories, he led an expedition north to

Pamplona Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region. Lying at near above ...

, where a Frankish or Aquitanian party had taken over after the

Battle of Poitiers The Battle of Poitiers was fought on 19September 1356 between a French army commanded by King JohnII and an Anglo- Gascon force under Edward, the Black Prince, during the Hundred Years' War. It took place in western France, south of Poit ...

. Despite his failure to capture the

Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...

fortress, he left troops to invest it, and decided to continue his way north across the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to ...

, where he engaged the Basques in skirmishes and was eventually overcome, but managed to escape back to

. After being deposed and incarcerated by his successor

Uqba ibn al-Hajjaj Uqba ibn al-Hajjaj al-Saluli ( ar, عُقْبَة بن الْحَجَّاج السَّلُولِيِّ الهَوازِنِيِّ, ʿUqba ibn al-Ḥajjāj al-Salūlī) was an Umayyad governor of al-Andalus from 734 to 740 (or 737 to 742 according ...

or possibly the governor of Ifriqiya ("''was bound in chains''"), he made his way back to prominence in 740, when he was appointed Wāli (''governor'') of Al-Andalus again after the former´s natural death. This time he had to deal with the serious Berber rebellion in

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

. The governor saw no option but to take the Syrian troops commanded by his adversary Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri as allies to quash the rebellion, thus putting down the uprisings. However, ultimately Balj ibn Bishr al-Qushayri had him arrested in Córdoba for former grievances, put him to a horrible death in 742, and had him crucified on the outskirts of the city flanked by a similarly killed pig and dog on either side.

Notes

{{end 742 deaths Umayyad governors of Al-Andalus Year of birth unknown 8th-century Arabs 8th-century people from the Umayyad Caliphate