Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean, was conquered from the Byzantines by the Aghlabid dynasty of Ifrīqiya (medieval Tunisia) during the ninth and tenth centuries, and it remained under Muslim rule until the end of the eleventh century. The dynasties that ruled Ifrīqiya also ruled Sicily, at least nominally. As a political unit in this period, Sicily included Malta, Gozo, and Pantelleria, as well as the nearby smaller islands.

Jewish settlement in Sicily and Palermo preceded the Muslim conquest. The earliest testimony about Sicilian Jews under Muslim r…