Yahia Ben Bakr
Encyclopedia
Yahia Ben Bakr was an important Mozarab
(Iberian
Christian
living under Muslim
domination) figure in Medieval
Portugal
.
Yahia Ben Bakr was of Jewish descent, the son of a Bakr Ben Yahia
and related to or a descendant (possibly a grandson) of Yahia Ben Yahi III
, a Sephardi Jew
.
Yahia Ben Bakr was succeeded in office by his son, Bakr Ben Yahia
. Both Ben Bakr and Ben Yahia held political office and executed important construction in the city of Faro
. They are credited with constructing the actual city walls, as well as the iron gates around the perimeter of the city. It is during this time that they brought the image of Mary
as it is stated in the songs by King Alfonso X of Castile
.
Mozarab
The Mozarabs were Iberian Christians who lived under Arab Islamic rule in Al-Andalus. Their descendants remained unconverted to Islam, but did however adopt elements of Arabic language and culture...
(Iberian
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
living under Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
domination) figure in Medieval
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Yahia Ben Bakr was of Jewish descent, the son of a Bakr Ben Yahia
Bakr Ben Yahia I
Bakr Ben Yahia I was possibly a son of Yahia Ben Yahi III and the father of Yahia Ben Bakr. He was, apparently, the first of his branch of the family to become a Christian and thus a Mozarab , since his possible father was still and always a Jew and his son was always mentioned as being a...
and related to or a descendant (possibly a grandson) of Yahia Ben Yahi III
Yahia Ben Yahi III
Yahia Ben Yahi III, also known as Jahia Negro Ibn Ya'isch, was a Sephardi Jew born in Cordoba in 1115 to Yahia Ben Rabbi, also known as Yahya Ha-Nasi, Yahya Ibn Yaish or Don Yahia "El Negro", , the son of Yahia Ben Rabbi and said to be a direct descendent of the Exilarchs of Babylon.King Afonso I...
, a Sephardi Jew
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
.
Yahia Ben Bakr was succeeded in office by his son, Bakr Ben Yahia
Bakr Ben Yahia
Bakr Ben Yahia II was an important Mozarab figure in Medieval Portugal.Bakr Ben Yahia II was the son of Yahia Ben Bakr. Both father and son were Governors of the city of Faro in the 13th century and executed important construction there...
. Both Ben Bakr and Ben Yahia held political office and executed important construction in the city of Faro
Faro, Portugal
Faro is the southernmost city in Portugal. It is located in the Faro Municipality in southern Portugal. The city proper has 41,934 inhabitants and the entire municipality has 58,305. It is the seat of the Faro District and capital of the Algarve region...
. They are credited with constructing the actual city walls, as well as the iron gates around the perimeter of the city. It is during this time that they brought the image of Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
as it is stated in the songs by King Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X of Castile
Alfonso X was a Castilian monarch who ruled as the King of Castile, León and Galicia from 1252 until his death...
.