Matruh ben Sulayman al-Arabi () was a

Wali The term ''wali'' is most commonly used by Muslims to refer to a saint, or literally a "friend of God".John Renard, ''Friends of God: Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood'' (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008); John ...

, or governor, of

Barcelona Barcelona ( ; ; ) is a city on the northeastern coast of 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 c ...

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

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

's army to besiege

Zaragoza Zaragoza (), traditionally known in English as Saragossa ( ), is the capital city of the province of Zaragoza and of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributaries, the ...

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 ; ; ; ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a Basque culture, common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous peoples, ...

, and at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass 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. 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 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 Arab people Year of birth unknown