|
THE SWORD OF ALI ATAR
The Ali-Atar sword is a design in honour of the figure
who gives his name to the sword. The figure Ali Atar is surrounded by
history and legend. The details relating to him are very minimal and partial.
Most of these stem from legendary tales which have been passed on by word of
mouth, which has resulted in the true vision having been altered over time.
The adventures of Ibrahim Ali-al-Atar
armed with his loyal sword are staged on the lands of Andalusia, focusing
specifically on the area surrounding Granada. As the legend goes, Ali Atar
was attributed different roles: general, trader, sheriff, keeper and butler.
Ali Atar statue armed with his sword in the city of Loja (Granada - Spain)
It seems certain that Ali Atar began his journey as a
modest spice vendor who gradually, thanks to his military achievements with
his skilled use of the sword, rose in both power and position. His position
as Keeper of the Andalusian city of Loja seems certain, as this is confirmed
by the tale written in the manuscript of Don Guzmán de Berlanga1, a knight
from Castile. Don Guzmán recounts, in an interrupted way, the events which
took place between 1480 and 1565 AD. In one of his stories, he writes about
an important historical event, which was the capture of the city of Loja
situated in the west of what is now the province of Granada. Loja was a
medieval border city, and as such, was an exceptional spectator of the
capture of the lands of Granada by the Catholic Kings at the end of the 15th
century. It was in 1486 that this Islamic city capitulated to the Catholic
army led by King Fernando of Aragon. The battle was hard, as both sides were
prepared for anything, however, the superiority of the Christian army soon
became clear, and they managed to easily crush the Muslim army.
Alcazaba of Loja, city of Aliatar
At this time, the Nazari kingdom of Granada was a land
thrown into confusion by the persistent internal fighting which had
penetrated its way into the Islamic power which inhabited the Iberian
Peninsula. Boabdil, the last king of Granada, had seized the throne from his
father, who the Christians called Muley Hacén, a name which derives from the
name for the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula. The tradition goes that
the monarch Mulay Hasan, tired of civilization, ordered for his body to be
buried on the point of earth closest to the sky, and this was how the summit
of Granada was given the name Mulhacén.
Boabdil, favoured for his support of the
Abencerrages, an important lineage of the Granada nobility, and support
for its mother Aixa, the indignant mother of Muley Hacén, succeeded in
confronting his own father and his uncle Al Zagal. Around 1482 Boabdil
was proclaimed king of Granada, and from day one he had to dedicate most
of his efforts to defending the kingdom from Christian attacks.
Mulhacén mountain in Sierra Nevada
Coming back to the story of D. Guzmán de Berlanga on the
capture of the city of Loja, it indicates how Ali Atar, acting as Royal
Butler was invited to a hearing the Christian leaders in an attempt to
negotiate a peaceful solution to the imminent confrontation. The meeting was
held in one of the rooms of the simple fortress which crowned the city of
Loja. The room had a mysterious atmosphere, an effect which was contributed
to by the lattices decorated with floral motifs which covered the openings.
It opened to the outside through large arches through which the valley and
bend of the river could be made out, presumably the river Genil, which the
Arabs called Sinnil (“the thousand Niles”) in reference to the multiple
tributaries of the river Genil in similarity to the numerous sources which
supplied the River Nile in Egypt.
Those who attended the meeting
included both representatives of King Fernando and the Arab Sultan Boabdil,
however, the negotiations didn’t end in success, as proven by the capture by
force of the city. Swords and sabres came face to face on the battlefield
with results that were somewhat lacking for the Muslim troops. For the
Christian King Fernando, the conquest of Loja meant the opening of the
western border which guaranteed his pass to the capture of the capital,
Granada.
Recreation of the surrender of Granada by Boabdil
The link between Ali Atar and
Boabdil was not only friendly but also family. Boabdil, after returning from
the battlefield where he used the sword to defend his kingdom, fell for a
beautiful young woman called Morayma who turned out to be the daughter of
Ali Atar. Boadbil married her and as the legend goes, Morayma was the only
woman he loved in his life.
The date when Ibrahim Aliatar died is placed in the year 1483 AD. There
are traditions which state that Ali-Atar died during the battle of
Lucena brandishing his sword in defence of his father-in-law Boabdil,
whilst other stories place the death of Ali-Atar on his return to the
city of Loja after the battle. Whenever it was, the battle succeeded in
concentrating more than seven million men from the Arab infantry and
cavalry with the objective of taking down the defences of Lucena. This
city, located a few tens of kilometres to the north of Loja, was under
Christian control, after having been conquered around the year 1240 in
this era by the monarch Fernando III. However, the Christian army
managed to overcome the Muslim one to achieve victory and capture
Boabdil.
Statue commemorating the love story of Boabdil and Morayma located in
Granada
Another of the legends related to
Aliatar, which has remained in popular memory and which has fortunately
reached us, is that of “El vado del moro” (The Moorish ford). This story
tells of how Don Pedro Gómez de Aguilar, a brave noble and knight, was
captured by a group of Muslim soldiers led by the general Ali Atar. With a
strike of the sword the Arab soldiers managed to make Don Pedro leave his
dwelling in the town of Cabra, to take him prisoner. The Christian noble
accompanied Ali Atar in his return to the city of Loja. At a specific time
in the journey, Don Pedro took advantage of the absentmindedness of the Arab
soldiers to rush towards Ali Atar. Both fell from the horse and went round
the lower hillside, a brief confrontation of swords began until Don Pedro
managed to get hold of the Aliatar sword and quietened the Arab.
The sword of Ali Atar
There, on that bend covered by high bushes, they hid for
quite some time avoiding being discovered by the Moorish troop who had gone
out in search of their lost general. Meanwhile the count of Cabra, who had
heard word of the kidnapping, came to the aid of Don Pedro Gómez de Aguilar.
The two Christian nobles along with Ali Atar as a prisoner, embarked on an
escape towards Cabra, a city which offered the protection necessary against
the Arab troops who were coming after them.
During their anxious escape, they came across a sharp
rise in the river Cabra which prevented them from crossing. The nerves of
the Christian soldiers started to wear thin, with the threatening Arab
procession close on their heels, armed with fierce sabres. However, the
solution to the problem of the Christian nobles came in the hands of the
person they least expected: Ali Atar. The Arab general indicated a path to
them that was often used by him and his soldiers to cross the river. Thanks
to this assistance the Christian soldiers managed to escape the Muslim
clutches. Ali Atar won the favour and friendship of the Christian nobles who
would always be in his debt.
Ali Atar has passed through
history as a legendary Arab leader who tirelessly fought to defend Granada
[Buy
Ali Atar swordr]
[Swords]
[Historic
Swords]
[Go to Home Page] [Go
to Shop]
[List
of Swords]
|
WhatsApp 676 850 364