Arbuna

Arbuna is the name by which the Arab historians designated the town of Narbonne. Early Muslim expeditions reached it. ¹

'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Musa ibn Nusayr took the town in 96/715. It was probably then lost or abandoned, and al-Samh ibn Malik al-Khawlani retook it in 100/719. In 116/734, two years after the battle of Poitiers, the Duke of Provence made a treaty with the governor of Narbonne, Yusuf ibn 'Abd al-Rahman. Under it the governor could occupy a number of places in the Rhone valley, to protect Provence against Charles Martel and to open a new invasion route to the north. Charles Martel reacted at once, took Avignon and besieged Narbonne. ¹

The town was finally taken from the Muslims by Pepin the Short in 142/759, after a long siege. In 177/793 'Abd al-Malik ibn Mughith advanced as far as Narbonne, set fire to its outskirts, defeated the Duke of Toulouse not far from the city and withdrew with considerable booty. Another expedition, in 226/840, was unsuccessful. Narbonne kept its links with the Umayyad court, and Jewish merchants were especially active in that trade. ¹