▁ ▁The ▁Um ay y ad ▁r ul ers ▁faced ▁a ▁major ▁Ber ber ▁Revol t ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 7 4 0 s ; ▁the ▁u pr ising ▁originally ▁broke ▁out ▁in ▁North ▁Africa ▁( T ang ier ) ▁and ▁later ▁spread ▁across ▁the ▁pen ins ula . ▁Following ▁the ▁Abb as id ▁take over ▁from ▁the ▁Um ay y ads ▁and ▁the ▁shift ▁of ▁the ▁economic ▁centre ▁of ▁the ▁Islam ic ▁C ali ph ate ▁from ▁Dam asc us ▁to ▁Bag hd ad , ▁the ▁western ▁province ▁of ▁al - And alus ▁was ▁marg inal ised ▁and ▁ultimately ▁became ▁polit ically ▁autonom ous ▁as ▁independent ▁em ir ate ▁in ▁ 7 5 6 , ▁ruled ▁by ▁one ▁of ▁the ▁last ▁surv iving ▁Um ay y ad ▁roy als , ▁Abd ▁al - R ah man ▁I . ▁ ▁Al - And alus ▁became ▁a ▁center ▁of ▁culture ▁and ▁learning , ▁especially ▁during ▁the ▁C ali ph ate ▁of ▁C ór dob a . ▁The ▁C ali ph ate ▁reached ▁its ▁height ▁of ▁its ▁power ▁under ▁the ▁rule ▁of ▁Abd - ar - R ah man ▁III ▁and ▁his ▁successor ▁al - H ak am ▁II , ▁becoming ▁then , ▁in ▁the ▁view ▁of ▁Ja ime ▁Vic ens ▁V ives , ▁" the ▁most ▁powerful ▁state ▁in ▁Europe ". ▁Abd - ar - R ah man ▁III ▁also ▁managed ▁to ▁expand ▁the ▁cl out ▁of ▁Al - And alus ▁across ▁the ▁Stra it ▁of ▁Gib ral tar , ▁w aging ▁war ,