Tag Archives: banu qasi

Basque Fact of the Week, History, People

Basque Fact of the Week: Eneko Arista, the First King of Pamplona

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If there was a time when the Basques were unified as one political entity, it was under the Kingdom of Nafarroa, which started out as the Kingdom of Pamplona. The first king of Pamplona, Eneko Arista, founded the kingdom sometime around 824. His family was closely intertwined with the neighboring Banu Qasi family – indeed, […]

Basque Fact of the Week, History

Basque Fact of the Week: The Muslim Banu Qasi Dynasty

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I’ve often heard that the Basques have never been conquered. However, during the Muslim invasion of what would eventually become Spain, they reached the borders of the Basque region. This led to significant military, political, and even familial interactions between the Muslims and the Basques. In fact, one of the most prominent families of the […]