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When the Muslims occupied the Valley of the Ebro, only there was two important urban nuclei, Zaragoza (Now Saragusta) and Tarazona; with it it was difficult to control a territory of as much extension. Conscious of it, they founded on the province new urban centers.
In 714, Musa horseradish tree Nusayr takes control of its control after which it becomes, already with the name islamizado of Sarakosta, in key place for the later Arab advance towards France.
Thanks to the weakness of the godos, the support of some landowners and the collaboration of the Jews, the Muslims settled quickly and consolidated their conquests without imposing to the force on his habitatnes. At the first moments the nonIslamic population remained faithful to its beliefs. Soon, later, given the advantages that the Islam granted, most adopted it like its religion.
Saragusta (or Sarakosta), "the white city", opens a new period of political and cultural splendor, becoming the first the capital of the Superior mark of A Andalus and important taifa independent later.
Such increase of faithfuls entailed the creation of new mosques emphasizing the greater mosque of Zaragoza than later with it reconquers it would be turned the Seo ("the seo "term means cathedral).
The Muslims even arrived at France, through the Pyrenees, but due to the difficult accessibility, as soon as they were in frank territory to sack some towns. They demanded the Christians who took refuge in the Pyrenees, tribute, that did not have too much effect, since if to the Muslims it did not interest to them the pirenaica zone was by its little productivity to the being mountainous land; for the same reason, the Christians could not pay it. But due to the land, they were possible to be defended better of the Arab looting, and survived enough good the punishment games that carried out the Muslims against the Christian redoubts.
Few years later, in the 778, a frank army, to the orders of Carlomagno, advances from the other side of the Pyrenees with the intention to take control of the city. Failed the expedition, it is attacked his return in the step, supposedly, of Roncesvalles, where it dies in Roldán combat.
Following the four centuries one will become the second city in importance of Al-Andalus, after Cordova, being, from s. XI, capital of one of the more extensive and powerful kingdoms of taifas. In spite of the threat of the Christian kingdoms of the Pirenaica zone, the city makes sure its independence by means of the payment of tributes.

The reconquest.
Little by little, the Christian groups that were in favor dispersed of different valleys from the Pyrenean one, began to unite, to begin reconquers it, more than by the eagerness to recover what historically he was his, to avoid to perish before the continuous Muslim attack. It was in the Valley of the Aragón, one of the rivers of the Pyrenean one, where one began to form what soon he would be one of the greater kingdoms of Europe. Not yet she had name, but people already began to them to call Aragoneses , due to the name of the river.
The name of Aragón did not include more than the territory than was between the two branches of the Aragón river, giving name to this kingdom. Saragusta at first did not belong to this new kingdom.
Aragón would be also the last name of the ruling family, and the arms of the family, would appear in the shields of the different territories.


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