Cysylltiadau Cynnar

Mae’r mwyafrif o bobl yng Nghymru wedi clywed am Glawdd Offa sy’n rhedeg rhwng Lloegr a Chymru. Adeiladwyd y clawdd gan y Brenin Offa o Mercia yn yr wythfed ganrif. Ond efallai nad oeddech chi’n gwybod bod y Brenin Offa wedi bathu darn arian aur â’r gosodiad ffydd Islam yn Arabeg arno (sef bod un Duw yn unig a Muhammad yw’r negesydd Duw). Early Interactions

The majority of people in Wales have heard of Offa’s Dyke which runs between England and Wales. The dyke was built by King Offa of Mercia in the eighth century. But perhaps you didn’t know that King Offa minted a gold coin with the Islamic declaration of faith on it (that there is only one God and Muhammad is His messenger).

Fel arfer am ddarnau arian y Brenin, mae’r enw ‘Offa Rex’ arno hefyd a dydyn ni ddim yn siŵr pam mae’r gosodiad Islamaidd ar y darn. Mae rhai’n dweud bod Offa wedi trosi at Islam (ond dydy hyn ddim yn debygol) ond yn fwy tebygol, roedd Offa yn dynwared darn o wledydd Abasaidd. Y naill ffordd neu’r llall, mae’n dangos bod rhyw fath o gysylltiad rhwng Islam a Chymru hyd yn oed yn yr wythfed ganrif. As usual for the King’s coins, the name Offa Rex was also on it and we are not sure why there is an Islamic inscription on the coin. Some say that Offa had converted to Islam (but this is not likely) but more likely, Offa was imitating a coin from Abbasid lands. Either way, it shows that there was some sort of connection between Islam and Wales even in the eighth century.

Daeth arwydd arall o’r cysylltiad rhwng Cymru ac Islam yn y ddeuddegfed ganrif yn ystod cyfnod y Croesgadau. Adeiladwyd Abaty Nedd ar y pryd a chafodd ei ddisgrifio fel "Yr abaty tecaf yng Nghymru gyfan" gan y bardd John Leland. Ond, yn rhyfedd ddigon, adroddwyd mai pensaer yr abaty oedd Lalys, carcharor o Balestina y daethpwyd ag e i Brydain gan Richard de Granville. Mae’n ddiddorol hefyd bod llawer o gestyll Cymreig yn ymdebygu i hen gestyll yn y Dwyrain Canol, fel Krak des Chevaliers yn Syria. Er gwaethaf cyd-destun dychrynllyd y Croesgadau, roedd cyfnewid diwylliannau rhwng Islam a’r Gorllewin. Another sign of the link between Wales and Islam came in the twelfth century during the period of the Crusades. Neath Abbey was built at the time and was described as "The fairest abbey in all Wales" by poet John Leland. But, surprisingly enough, it is reported that the architect of the abbey was Lalys, a captive from Palestine who was brought back to Britain by Richard de Granville. It is interesting also that many Welsh castles resemble old castles in the Middle East, like Krak des Chevaliers in Syria. Despite the appalling context of the Crusades, there was a clear cultural exchange between Islam and the West.

Hyd yn oed ar ôl y Croesgadau, mae’r berthynas yn parhau. Ym 1671, rydym yn dod o hyd i stori Cymro a elwid yn ‘runagado’ ym Mhapurau Wladwriaeth Mewnol Charles I– ‘runagado’ oedd y term am rywun sy wedi trosi at Islam ar y pryd. Yn anfoddus, cafodd y dyn ei grogi o’i long ar ôl iddo fe golli brwydr lyngesol. Er bod trosi at Islam yn anghyffredin ar y pryd, roedd yn digwydd i raddau wrth i gysylltiadau llyngesol dyfu ar draws y byd. Even after the Crusades, the relationship continues. In 1671, we find a story of a Welshman who is called a ‘runagado’ in the Domestic State Papers of Charles I– ‘runagado’ was a term for someone who converted to Islam at the time. Unfortunately, the man was hanged from his ship after losing a naval battle. Although conversion to Islam was uncommon at the time, it was not unheard of as naval links around the world grew.