Syracuse, Sicily Sicily until it fell to the Aghlabids after another siege on 20/21 May 878. During the two centuries of Muslim rule, the capital of the Emirate of Sicily was moved from Syracuse to Palermo. The Cathedral was converted into a mosque and the quarter on the Ortygia island was gradually rebuilt along Islamic styles. The city, nevertheless, maintained important trade relationships, and housed a relatively flourishing cultural and artistic life: several Arab poets, including Ibn Hamdis, the most important Sicilian Arab poet of the 12th century, flourished in the city. In 1038, the Byzantine general George Maniakes reconquered the city,
Tercio of Sicily Tercio of Sicily The Tercio of Sicily () is one of the tercios that were created by a 1534 decree of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Since the 18th century, the Spanish army has maintained the tradition of this tercio in its regiments. The purpose of this regiment was to protect the Spanish possessions in Italy from enemy attack. The name includes "viejo" ("old") because it is one of the three first tercios created and originally comprised 12 companies (each consisting of 150-200 men). The tercio was stationed throughout Sicily as well as in Calabria, Marina de Catanzaro. Its first