Tariq ibn Ziyad was a loyal lieutenant of Musa ibn Nusayr, the governor of North Africa.
In 711, he led an army across the strait to the Iberian Peninsula. He is famously said to have burned his boats upon landing to encourage his troops to fight without hope of retreat.
At the Battle of Guadalete, he decisively defeated the Visigothic King Roderic, leading to the rapid collapse of the Visigothic Kingdom.
His campaigns laid the foundation for Al-Andalus, a major center of Islamic culture and learning in Europe for centuries.
He was later recalled to Damascus by the Caliph along with Musa ibn Nusayr, where he spent his final years.