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The district of Lleida
The Arab texts
describe the district of Lleida as a region rich in agricultural zones, above all
the valleys of the Cinca and the Segre; a strongly militarised district was also
presented, where the castle was the most common settlement, always dominating communication
routes and watercourses, probably due to the fact that it was a region in direct
contact with the counties. During the 10th century, it extended from between the
river Cinca to the west, the Montsec mountain range to the north, the valley of the
Ebre to the south and the Prades and Montsant mountain ranges to the east. As a result
of the feudal conquest, this territory was to see its area diminish throughout the
11th century.
The historian
and geographer al-Himyari left us an excellent description of the zone:
"Lleida (Larida)
is an old city that was built beside a watercourse that comes form the country
of Gillikia, and that is called Segre (Shikar): it is the river from where particles
of pure gold are extracted... The city dominates an extensive plain which is called
the plain of Mascançà (Mashkican). The city of Lleida has a
fertile territory, despite the land of the neighbouring region being barren; it has
many gardens and fruit in abundance. It is specialised in the cultivation of linen,
of which there are many plantations and it is excellent. It exports it to all the
regions of the zone of the Marches.
On the plain of Mascançà, there are farms, cultivation and pastures
in great number. Each farm has a tower or underground refuge, where the settlers
hide in case of attack..."
With the disintegration
of the Caliphate of Cordoba (1008) and the appearance of a series of independent
kingdoms called Taifes, the Upper March disappeared as a territorial division
and became one of the most important and extensive of these kingdoms, governed by
the family of the Banu Hud, with its capital in Zaragoza. The struggles between the
members of this lineage made Lleida into the centre of opposition and the capital
of the Taifa of Lleida (1041-1081) which, under Yusuf al-Muzaffar, underwent a great
flourishing, both on an economic and on a social and cultural level.
The loss of strength of the Taifa kingdoms and the continuous struggles between them
were factors that favoured the definitive advance of the frontier. Thus, between
the 11th century and the first half of the 12th century, the county forces managed
to conquer the whole of the territory that today forms Catalonia. |
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