Al-Andalus is the historical name for the area comprising of present day Portugal and Spain. It came under muslim dominance after the conquest led by Toriq Bin Ziod, who entered the peninsula through a narrow strait connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Ocean. In his honor, the place where he landed became known as Gibraltar (Jabal-e-Tariq or Mountain of Tarik). The region remained under muslim control for almost 800 years, expanding rapidly to incorporate large swaths of modern-day southern France at its zenith. Contemporary famous cities of Barcelona and Valencia were also part of the same area and remained under the Muslim Caliphate for quite a few decades. Cordoba () was selected as the capital of the Muslim empire and emerged as a leading cultural centre for Europe for centuries. The Muslim rule coincided with a golden passage for the region as multiple political, educational, economic, and engineering feats were performed. Major advancements in the fields of trigonometry, astronomy, surgery, and agronomy can also be traced back to Al-Andalus under the Muslim Caliphate. Sadly, the city of Cordoba was lost to the Christian Invasion in 1236, which marked the beginning of the end of Muslim rule in the area. Despite clinging to power for a further two centuries, the Muslim rule finally came to an end with the fall of Grenada in 1492.