Abd-ar-Rahman III

Abd al-Raḥmān III, also known as 'Abd al-Rahmān ibn Muḥammad ibn 'Abd Allāh ibn Muḥammad ibn 'Abd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥakam al-Rabdī ibn Hishām ibn 'Abd al-Raḥmān al-Dākhil, was the Umayyad Emir of Córdoba from 912 to 929, at which point he founded the Caliphate of Córdoba, serving as its first Caliph until his death. 'Abd al-Raḥmān won the laqab (sobriquet) al-Nasir li-Dīn Allāh – Defender of God's Faith – in his early 20s when he supported the Maghrawa in North Africa against Fatimid expansion and rose to the Caliphate. His half-century reign (912–961) of al-Andalus – Muslim Iberian Spain – was known for its religious tolerance.