Matruh ben Sulayman al-Arabi ( ar, مطروح بن سليمان بن يقظان الكلبي القضاعي الأعرابي‎) was a

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 t ...

, or governor, of

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 ...

from 778 to 792. Roger Collins, ''The Arab Conquest of Spain, 710–797'' (Basil Blackwell, 1989). Matruh, together with his father

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 ...

, 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 Em ...

's army to besiege

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 tribut ...

in 778. When Zaragoza failed to surrender, Charlemagne took hostages from his allies, including Sulayman al-Arabi. Matruh and his brother Aysun 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 Roncevaux Pass 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 o ...

they ambushed Charlemagne's baggage train, releasing their father. Sulayman returned to Zaragoza where, in 780, he was killed by his former friend and ally Husayn of Zaragoza. As a result, Matruh became wali of Barcelona and

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in 2020. Girona is the capit ...

. In 781 the Emir of Córdoba, Abd al-Rahman I, subdued Zaragoza. Matruh had probably given his loyalty to the Emir before this and was confirmed as the wali of Barcelona. After 785 two servants of Matruh's brother Aysun, Amrus ben Yusuf and his kinsman Shabrit, entered his service. Shortly afterwards Matruh rebelled again against the Emir and took

Huesca Huesca (; an, Uesca) is a city in north-eastern Spain, within the autonomous community of Aragon. It is also the capital of the Spanish province of the same name and of the comarca of Hoya de Huesca. In 2009 it had a population of 52,059, al ...

and Zaragoza in about 789. However, in 791 or 792 Matruh was assassinated by his servants Amrus and Shabrit. Amrus was rewarded by the Emir.

Notes

{{reflist Walis of Barcelona 8th-century people from al-Andalus 791 deaths 8th-century Arabs Year of birth unknown