Tariq ibn Ziyad, also known simply as Tarik in English, was an Umayyad commander who initiated the Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula against the Visigothic Kingdom in 711–718 AD. He led an army and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from the North African coast, consolidating his troops at what is today known as the Rock of Gibraltar. 670 – 720; died at about 49. Alive at the same time as Li Bai, Abū Ḥanīfa, Bede, Charles Martel, and John of Damascus. Wiki link