In the history of Iberia, a taifa (from ṭā'ifa, plural طوائف ṭawā'if) was an independent Muslim-ruled principality, usually an emirate or petty kingdom, though there was one oligarchy, of which a number formed in the Al-Andalus (Moorish Iberia) after the final collapse of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba in 1031. The origins of the taifas must be sought in the administrative division of the Umayyad Caliphate of Córdoba, as well in th… (More on Taifa)