The Kūra was one of the territorial demarcations into which al-Andalus, the ancient Islamic Iberian Peninsula, was divided during the Emirate and Caliphate of Córdoba. It coexisted with another territorial demarcation called March ("thagr"), which overlapped the Kūra in the areas bordering the Christian kingdoms. Both underpinned the al-Andalus territorial organization during the aforementioned periods.
According to the RAE dictionary, the word Kūra (, ) comes from the Greek χῶρα, with the meaning of territory.
A similar territorial/administrative hierarchy existed in the eastern Mediterranean in Bilad al-Sham.
Territorial organization of al-Andalus The Andalusian Caliphate was organized into six large districts, three inland and three on the borders, all with their respective Kūra. The interior demarcations or regions (nabiya) were: al-Gharb, which covered the present-day province of Huelva and southern Portugal; al-Mawsat or central lands, which extended through the valleys of the Guadalquivir and the Genil, plus the mountainous areas of Andalusia, that is, the ancient Baetica;Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalusia: Atlas of the History of the Territory of Andalusia. (In Spanish) and al-Sharq or land of the east, which covered the Mediterranean arc, from the present-day province of Murcia to Tortosa. Between these demarcations and the border were the three March: al-Tagr al-Ala or Upper March (Zaragoza); al-Tagr al-Awsat or Middle March (Toledo); and al-Tagr al-Adna or Lower March (Mérida). These March were maintained until the appearance of the Taifa Kingdoms. In the Hispano-Muslim model, the frontier was conceived as a large disorganized strip of separation, outside the March, without forming part of the territorial structure and with very scarce settlement, limited to some specific points, as occurred in the Douro River valley after the abandonment, around 750, of the area by the Berbers initially settled there and the migration of Mozarabs towards the kingdom of Astur-Leon.
Each Kūra was attributed a territory with a capital, in which resided a walí or governor, who lived in the fortified part of the city, or alcazaba. In each Kūra there was also a Qadi or judge. The "March" or "thugur" (plural of thagr), on the other hand, had at their head a military chief called qa'id, whose authority was superimposed on the authorities of the Kūras included in the March.
The Kūras, in turn, were divided into smaller demarcations, called iqlim, which were units of an economic-administrative nature, each with a town or castle as its head. Some authors consider the Kūra to be heirs of the previous Betic demarcations. The demarcation involved the exercise of certain political, administrative, military, economic and judicial powers. The Kūra, as a base demarcation, was used practically throughout the existence of al-Andalus, although complete information is only available from the time of the Caliphate of Córdoba.
In the early days of the Islamic presence in the Iberian Peninsula, within each Kūra, towns were established around castles, called "ḥiṣn" ("ḥuṣûn", in plural), which acted as organizational centers and defenders of a certain territorial area, called "yûz" ("ayzâ", in plural). This administrative structure remained unchanged until the end of the 10th century, when the districts were modified, greatly increasing in size, becoming known as "aqâlîm" ("iqlîm", singular). From the time of the Emirate of Córdoba there is more fragmentary information, although the name and geographic location of a large number of Kūra existing in the 10th century is known (see map). Some authors put the total number of Kūras that existed in al-Ándalus at 40, and other sources establish that their number (excluding those belonging to some of the March) would be around 21-23 demarcations.
In other historical moments, the organization in Kūras was replaced by other types of demarcations, such as the , typical of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, which existed from the 13th century until 1492 and was the last Islamic state in the Iberian Peninsula.
Emiral Kūras In contrast to the Caliphate period, information on the territorial organization of the Emirate of Cordoba is scarce and, above all, very fragmentary. From the earliest times of the Emirate there existed the three March, Upper, Middle and Lower, with their corresponding Kūras, although with different denominations and delimitations, in some cases, from those they will have later. It is necessary to take into account that the frequent revolts of the peripheral lords against the Umayyad power, usual throughout the history of al-Andalus, frequently modified the spheres of power of the districts.
Kūras corresponding to the following March The following Kūras are identified, within the March:
Lower March.Distribution and settlement of Berber (Imazighen) tribes
tribes (Imazighen) in the territory of the
emeritense in emiral epoch (VIII-X century) . (In Spanish) As will happen during the Caliphate, we have certainty of a single Kūra, called Kūra of Xenxir, with capital in Batalyaws (Badajoz), at least in a first period, and Mérida later. The possible Kūra of al-Lixbuna (Lisbon), could actually have been an iqlim, since also the structure of these had a Qadi at the head of its judicial administration, although there is evidence that it enjoyed autonomy in 808–809, after the Tumlus rebellion.
Middle March. The capital of the March was in Tulaytulah (present-day Toledo) and its scope practically did not vary between the Emirate and the Caliphate. In it were located the Kūras of al-Belat, ax-Xerrat and al-Ulga. The first of these remained almost unchanged until the fall of the Caliphate. The second occupied territories that would later be attributed to the Kūra of Santaveria, so there is a clear continuity between them. As for al-Ulga, we have no reference to it beyond the year 929, its territory being attributed by the geographer Abu Yaqut to the Kūra of Toledo. Upper March. In the Upper March, the following Kūras have been identified during the emiral period: Harkal-Suli, which would later be integrated into the Kūra of Barbitaniya, which extended through the northern part of the current province of Huesca; Az-Zeitum, which comprised what was later the Kūra of Lleida; Arth, which extended through territories of the cities of Zaragoza and Calatayud; al-Shala, which included the northern part of Teruel and would later result in the taifa of Albarracín;Agustín Ubieto Arteta, "45. Taifa of Albarracín (1085)", in "How Aragón was formed". (In Spanish) and the Kūra of Turtusha, which extended to the border with the Carolingian Empire.
Inner Kūras In total, about 16 Kūras are known located in the interior, i.e. not bordering, districts of al-Andalus. Most of them will remain until the end of the Caliphate: Ishbiliya (also called al-Xarraf), Xeduna or Saduna, al-Jazírat or Heira, Qurtuba, Rayya, Ilbira, Yayyán (sometimes called al-Busharrat), Beŷala or Pechina, Tudmir and Balansiya (called in some texts Amur).
Others would disappear with the arrival of the Caliphate, to be integrated into different circumscriptions: Oxuna, al-Fagar, Kunka (to be distributed between Tudmir and Santaveria), Bathr (integrated into Balansiya) and Marmaria (integrated into that of Turtusha). Finally, the Kūra of Kambania becomes Takoronna, and part of its territory passes to that of Rayya.
In any case, there is no certain information on the territorial limits of all of them.
Caliphal Kūras The information on the Kūra of the Caliphate, much more abundant, comes basically from the 11th century Cordovan historian al-Razi, although there are other sources of the period (al-Muqaddasi, al-Kalbi, Ibn al-Faradi, etc.). Although the different authors who have treated these sources coincide in general lines, some differences of dating and scope can be appreciated among them.
Following Arjona Castro's classification, these Kūras were:
Kūras of Gharb al-Ándalus
Kūra of Labla It was a regular-sized Kūra, which occupied almost the entirety of what is now the province of Huelva. It was bordered by the Algarve, from which it was separated by the Guadiana River, and by the Kūra of Isbiliya, reaching the eastern limit to the Aljarafe and, to the north, to the Sierra. Between Labla and the Sierra was the territory of Andévalo, which at that time was totally uninhabited. The capital of this demarcation was the city of Niebla, and several iqlim have been identified whose heads were Awnaba (Huelva), Aljabal (Almonte), Takuna (Trigueros) and Qashtm (Cartaya), in addition to several cities such as Lapp (Lepe) and Ŷabal al-Uyum (Gibraleón). It was an economically developed Kūra, with tree and shrub crops, predominantly olive, Vitis and fruit trees.
After the fall of the Caliphate, it broke down into two kingdoms: The Taifa of Niebla and the Taifa of Huelva.
Kūra of Mārtulah Small Kūra located on the banks of the Guadiana River, in mountainous terrain, which covered the territory that currently corresponds to the district of Beja, although some sources make it descend to the coast. Its capital was located in the city of Mértola. With the end of the Caliphate, it became the Taifa of Mértola.
Other possible Kūras In some texts other possible Kūras are noted:
The city of Huelva and its territory were incorporated into the Kūra of Labla, at least until the end of the Caliphate. Some authors point out its autonomous character, although this probably only occurred just before its conversion into a Taifa. Some authors point to the existence of a Kūra of al-Fagar, with capital in the city of Silb (Silves), which would later become the Taifa of Silves. This Kūra existed during the emirate, but it is probable that during the Caliphate it only had autonomy in very specific times of crisis, either at its beginning or at the dissolution of the Caliphate itself. The possible existence of the Kūra of Faro, with its head in the city of Faro, and which would later become the taifa of the Algarve, has also been pointed out. In principle, it seems that this region may have belonged, as an iqlim, to the Kūra of Mértola, so that its autonomy would be restricted, in any case, to the final stage of the Caliphate (1009-1031).
Kūras of Mawsat al-Ándalus
Kūra of Isbiliya It was formerly part of the ancient Roman district of Seville. It covered the Sierra de Aracena, the countryside of Seville, the Aljarafe and the Guadalquivir Marshes. Thanks to its agricultural wealth and the craft power of its capital, it had a high population density, especially in the area surrounding it. Its most important cities were: Alcalá de Guadaíra, Talyata (Tejada), Al-Sharaf, Tushana (Tocina), Utrera, Curtugana (Cortegana), Almonaster, Aznalcázar, Lebrija and Puebla del Río.
Kūra of Firrish It occupied the northern part of the current province of Seville and part of the province of Badajoz. Its capital was also called Firrish and its location is not completely clear, because while some authors place it in Constantina, for others it was in the municipality of Las Navas de la Concepción. It was a very sparsely populated district, although with mineral and forest resources.
Kūra of al-Jazírat
It covered what today is the Campo de Gibraltar and the coast up to Marbella. It was a mountainous area, therefore, with a livestock economy, basically. Its capital was Al-Jazírat al-Jadra (Algeciras), which was also its main commercial and transport port. It was very populated and consisted of several iqlim: Aruh (Castellar de la Frontera), al-Hadira, Olba and others, which included the cities of Gibraltar, Tarifa, Jimena de la Frontera, Gaucin, Ojen, Maysar and Turrush. It was bordered on the north by the Kūra of Takurunna, on the east by the Kūra of Rayya and on the west by the Kūra of Siduna.
Kūra of Takoronna