Abu Hafs 1 was emir (Ἀμερμουμνῆν) of Arabs living in Spain; his people lived in an unfertile and difficult area and wanted to move elsewhere; he took some ships and, allegedly, visited many islands to the east, which he plundered with impunity because all naval vessels were engaged elsewhere at the time in connection with the revolt of Thomas the Slav (Thomas 7); finally he raided Crete and decided that there was to be found the most suitable place for his people to settle; returning to Spain for the winter, he is said to have loaded forty ships with soldiers and in the spring sailed back with them to Crete, landing at the headland called Charax, later known as Chandax from the camp which he built there (but cf. below); while his men were away plundering, he burnt all the ships and on their return told them that this was the place where they should settle, taking wives from the local people and making new homes to replace those they had left behind: Theoph. Cont. II 21 (pp. 73-76), cf. Zon. XV 24. 1-6, Ps.-Symeon 622 (an Arab leader - ὁ τῶν Ἀγαρηνῶν ἀρχηγὸς Ἀπόχατ; during the reign of Michael II (Michael 10) he led his men against Crete and succeeded in capturing the island; he founded a stronghold at Chandax; he supposedly burnt his ships on arrival and told his men to take wives from the local women and make the island their home). They survived attempts by the Romans to recapture the island (see Photeinos 9 and Damianos 9): Theoph. Cont. II 22 (pp. 76-77). A local monk (Anonymus 49) visited them at their original camp site and directed them to a superior position, more suitable to be the site of a city and to serve as the centre of their dominance; this site was later called Chandax; after the foundation of Chandax, Apochaps became its ruler: Theoph. Cont. II 23 (p. 77) (καὶ ἡγεμὼν αὐτῆς ὁ Ἀπόχαψ τότε ἐγεγόνει αὐτῆς)(sic), Ps.-Symeon 622-623. Abu Hafs and his men were defeated by a Roman army under Krateros 1, but during the ensuing night they killed nearly all the Romans while they were in a drunken sleep; only Krateros 1 with some officers escaped by boat, but Abu Hafs 1 sent men after them and they caught them on Kos and killed them all: Theoph. Cont. II 25 (pp. 79-81), cf. Ps.-Symeon 623 (attempts by the Byzantines to retake the island were beaten off by him, and he captured and killed a Byzantine commander, Krateros 1).

According to Genesius, Apochaps was the leader of the Saracens living in Spain (τὸν ἀρχηγὸν αὐτῶν ... Ἀπόχαψ); he led an expedition against many islands (in the Aegean) and overran them, including Crete, from which he took much booty; the following year he returned with another expedition and this time they settled in Crete; he burned the ships to prevent a return to Spain, where his people had found living to be difficult and hard; they settled first at Charax and later, guided by a monk (Anonymus 49), at Chandax; their success was facilitated by the rebellion of Thomas the Slav (Thomas 7); he was apparently the father of Saipes 1 and the grandfather of Babdel 1: Genesius II 10.

Abu Hafs `Umar ibn -'Isa al-Andalusi known as al-Ikritishi invaded Crete and gradually captured all the Greek forts: Baladhuri, tr. Hitti, p. 376.

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