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The Martyrdom of Zuhayr ibn Qays at Barqa

استشهاد زهير بن قيس ببرقة

between 685 and 705 CE

Barqa (Cyrenaica) → Tutus

In al-Baladhuri: Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan gave Zuhayr ibn Qays al-Balawi Ifriqiya — he opened Tutus, then returned to Barqa, where word reached him that a body of Romans had come out of ships of theirs and were ravaging; he rode against them with a light cavalry band, met them, and was martyred with those with him — he was buried there, and their graves are called Qubur al-Shuhada.

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Umayyad Period
Region
Maghreb
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In time

670680690700710720
The Umayyad Period

Overview

Al-Baladhuri relates that Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan appointed Zuhayr ibn Qays al-Balawi over Ifriqiya. Zuhayr conquered Tutis, then turned to Barqa. 1

He received word that a group of the Byzantines had come out of their ships and spread corruption, so he went against them with a small troop of horsemen. He met them, and he and those with him were martyred, and they were buried there. Their graves are called "the graves of the martyrs". 1

Connections

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Had participant
Zuhayr ibn Qays al-Balawi· Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan
Occurred at
Barqa (Cyrenaica)· Tutus

People and things also explored

Hassan ibn al-Nu'man's Campaigns against al-Kahina· The Revolt of Abu Rakwa al-Umawi against al-Hakim· The Conquest of Tangier· The Treaty of Barqa (Antabulus)· Uqba ibn Nafi's Charge over Zawila and the Marches to Barqa· The Berbers· Abd al-Aziz ibn Marwan· Zuhayr ibn Qays al-Balawi

Sources

  1. Futuh al-Buldan — al-Baladhuri (Mu'assasat al-Ma'arif edition) , p.321
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “The Martyrdom of Zuhayr ibn Qays at Barqa”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/zuhayr-martyrdom-barqa/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-16.

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Hassan ibn al-Nu'man's Campaigns against al-Kahina

In al-Baladhuri: Hassan ibn al-Nu'man al-Ghassani was appointed and raided the Berbers' queen al-Kahina, who routed him; he came to castles within Barqa's bounds and lodged them — a keep among them roofed in glass, whence they were named Qusur Hassan; then Hassan raided her a second time, killed her, and sent a captivity of Berbers to Abd al-Aziz — whereupon Abu Muhjan Nusayb the poet would say 'I was present at Abd al-Aziz's when a captivity of Berbers came: I never saw faces fairer than theirs'.