Abdullah bin Tahir of Khorasan
Encyclopedia
Abdullah ibn Tahir (c. 798
–844
/5
) was the Tahirid governor of Khurasan
from 828
until his death. He is perhaps the most famous of the Tahirids.
Abdullah's early career consisted serving with his father Tahir ibn Husayn
in pacifying the lands of the Caliphate
following the civil war between al-Amin
and al-Ma'mun
. He later succeeded his father as governor of Al-Jazira
, with the task of defeating the rebel Nasr b. Shabath, and between 824
and 826
convinced Nasr to surrender. He was then sent to Egypt
, where he successfully ended an uprising led by 'Abd-Allah ibn al-Sari. He also recovered Alexandria
, which had been seized by Andalusia
n Muslim refugees seven years before; following their expulsion, the refugees headed to Byzantine Crete
, establishing Muslim rule
there for the first time.
Although Abdullah had been made the governor of Khurasan following his brother's death in 828
, he only arrived in Nishapur
in 830
; in the meantime he had been busy fighting more revolts. He was assigned for a brief time in 829
to stop the Khurramite
Babak
, but then was given new orders by the caliph to move to Khurasan and stop the Kharijites
. Abdullah's brother 'Ali acted as deputy governor of Khurasan until he was ready to take up residence in Nishapur.
During his reign as governor Abdullah was occupied with affairs on both the eastern and western parts of his territories. In the east, he took steps to improving the strength of the Samanids, his vassals in Transoxiana
. The Samanids were important, as they controlled the trade between Central Asia and the central Caliphate, including the trade of Turkish slaves. Also in the east in 834
an Alid
, Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, revolted in Juzjan, but Abdullah's forces eventually managed to capture him.
In the west, meanwhile, Abdullah came into conflict with the local ruler of Tabaristan, the Ispahbad Mazyar b. Qarin. As the ruler of the east, Abdullah claimed Tabaristan as a dependency and insisted that the tribute owed by Mazyar to the caliph should pass through him. Mazyar, however, was looking to expand his dominion and wanted to be free of Tahirid influence, so he refused to accept this and demanded that he be able to pay his tribute directly to the caliph. In this struggle Mazyar had the support of the Afshin
, who allegedly wanted to control the Tahirid lands himself. Abdullah was able to turn the caliph against Mazyar, and in 839
was ordered to stop the Ispahbad. Mazyar, a recent convert to Islam, heavily relied on the Zoroastrians of the province but in the end was captured, sent to Iraq
and executed. Tahirid control over Tabaristan was therefore secured until the Zaydid revolt of 864
.
Abdullah died in Nishapur, either at the end of 844
or in 845
. He was succeeded by his son Tahir
.
798
Year 798 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 798 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Europe :* Coenwulf of Mercia invades Kent, deposes and...
–844
844
Year 844 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Rhodri Mawr becomes king of Gwynedd....
/5
845
Year 845 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* March 28 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collect a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.* The Vikings also sack Hamburg and Melun.* November 22 – Count of Vannes,...
) was the Tahirid governor of Khurasan
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorasan or Ancient Khorasan is a historical region of Greater Iran mentioned in sources from Sassanid and Islamic eras which "frequently" had a denotation wider than current three provinces of Khorasan in Iran...
from 828
828
Year 828 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Al-Andalus: The city of Merida rises twice in one year against the Umayyad emirate....
until his death. He is perhaps the most famous of the Tahirids.
Abdullah's early career consisted serving with his father Tahir ibn Husayn
Tahir ibn Husayn
Tahir ibn Husayn was a general and governor during the Abbasid caliphate. Specifically, he served under al-Ma'mun and led the armies that would defeat al-Amin, making al-Ma'mun the caliph...
in pacifying the lands of the Caliphate
Caliphate
The term caliphate, "dominion of a caliph " , refers to the first system of government established in Islam and represented the political unity of the Muslim Ummah...
following the civil war between al-Amin
Al-Amin
Muhammad ibn Harun al-Amin , Abbasid Caliph. He succeeded his father, Harun al-Rashid in 809 and ruled until he was killed in 813.-Caliph:...
and al-Ma'mun
Al-Ma'mun
Abū Jaʿfar Abdullāh al-Māʾmūn ibn Harūn was an Abbasid caliph who reigned from 813 until his death in 833...
. He later succeeded his father as governor of Al-Jazira
Al-Jazira, Mesopotamia
Upper Mesopotamia is the name used for the uplands and great outwash plain of northwestern Iraq and northeastern Syria and southeastern Turkey which is known by the traditional Arabic name of Al-Jazira , variously transliterated into Roman script as Djazirah, Djezirah and Jazirah...
, with the task of defeating the rebel Nasr b. Shabath, and between 824
824
Year 824 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Third Battle of Roncevaux Pass: The Basques and Banu Qasi defeat counts Eblo and Aznar, Frankish vassals....
and 826
826
Year 826 was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar.- Religion :* June 24 – The Danish king Harald Klak accepts Christianity.- Deaths :...
convinced Nasr to surrender. He was then sent to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, where he successfully ended an uprising led by 'Abd-Allah ibn al-Sari. He also recovered Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, which had been seized by Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
n Muslim refugees seven years before; following their expulsion, the refugees headed to Byzantine Crete
Byzantine Crete
The island of Crete came under the rule of the Byzantine Empire in two periods: the first extends from the late Roman period to the conquest of the island by Andalusian exiles in the late 820s, and the second from the island's reconquest in 961 to its capture by the competing forces of Genoa and...
, establishing Muslim rule
Emirate of Crete
The Emirate of Crete was a Muslim state that existed on the Mediterranean island of Crete from the late 820s to the Byzantine reconquest of the island in 961....
there for the first time.
Although Abdullah had been made the governor of Khurasan following his brother's death in 828
828
Year 828 was a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Al-Andalus: The city of Merida rises twice in one year against the Umayyad emirate....
, he only arrived in Nishapur
Nishapur
Nishapur or Nishabur , is a city in the Razavi Khorasan province in northeastern Iran, situated in a fertile plain at the foot of the Binalud Mountains, near the regional capital of Mashhad...
in 830
830
Year 830 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.-Africa:* Creation of the Ad-dimnah hospital in al-Qayrawan by the Aghlabid ruler Ziyadat Allah I.- Europe :...
; in the meantime he had been busy fighting more revolts. He was assigned for a brief time in 829
829
Year 829 was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Egbert of Wessex conquers Mercia and is recognized as Bretwalda.* The Saracens ravage the coast of Dalmatia....
to stop the Khurramite
Khurramites
The Khurramites were an Iranian religious and political movement with its roots in the movement founded by Mazdak. An alternative name for the movement is the Muḥammira "Red-Wearing Ones" , a reference to their symbolic red dress.-Origins and History:The sect was founded by the Persian cleric...
Babak
Babak Khorramdin
Bābak Khorram-Din was one of the main Persian revolutionary leaders of the Iranian Khorram-Dinān , which was a local freedom movement fighting the Abbasid Caliphate. Khorramdin appears to be a compound analogous to dorustdin and Behdin "Good Religion" , and are considered an offshoot of...
, but then was given new orders by the caliph to move to Khurasan and stop the Kharijites
Kharijites
Kharijites is a general term embracing various Muslims who, while initially supporting the authority of the final Rashidun Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law and cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, then later rejected his leadership...
. Abdullah's brother 'Ali acted as deputy governor of Khurasan until he was ready to take up residence in Nishapur.
During his reign as governor Abdullah was occupied with affairs on both the eastern and western parts of his territories. In the east, he took steps to improving the strength of the Samanids, his vassals in Transoxiana
Transoxiana
Transoxiana is the ancient name used for the portion of Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, southern Kyrgystan and southwest Kazakhstan. Geographically, it is the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers...
. The Samanids were important, as they controlled the trade between Central Asia and the central Caliphate, including the trade of Turkish slaves. Also in the east in 834
834
Year 834 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* The Vikings first raid Dorestad ....
an Alid
Alid
The Alid dynasties descended from Ali ibn Abi Talib, son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Shia Muslims consider him the First Imam appointed by Muhammad and the first rightful caliph. The Alid are followers of Ali ibn Abi Talib and his sons....
, Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, revolted in Juzjan, but Abdullah's forces eventually managed to capture him.
In the west, meanwhile, Abdullah came into conflict with the local ruler of Tabaristan, the Ispahbad Mazyar b. Qarin. As the ruler of the east, Abdullah claimed Tabaristan as a dependency and insisted that the tribute owed by Mazyar to the caliph should pass through him. Mazyar, however, was looking to expand his dominion and wanted to be free of Tahirid influence, so he refused to accept this and demanded that he be able to pay his tribute directly to the caliph. In this struggle Mazyar had the support of the Afshin
Afshin
Afshin is a common Persian and Turkish given name, derived from the princely title of the rulers of Ošrūsana at the time of the Muslim conquest...
, who allegedly wanted to control the Tahirid lands himself. Abdullah was able to turn the caliph against Mazyar, and in 839
839
Year 839 was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Louis the Pious attempts to divide his empire among his sons.* Ethelwulf succeeds Egbert as king of Wessex....
was ordered to stop the Ispahbad. Mazyar, a recent convert to Islam, heavily relied on the Zoroastrians of the province but in the end was captured, sent to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and executed. Tahirid control over Tabaristan was therefore secured until the Zaydid revolt of 864
864
Year 864 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* July 25 – Edict of Pistres: Charles the Bald orders defensive measures against the Vikings....
.
Abdullah died in Nishapur, either at the end of 844
844
Year 844 was a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Rhodri Mawr becomes king of Gwynedd....
or in 845
845
Year 845 was a common year starting on Thursday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* March 28 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collect a huge ransom in exchange for leaving.* The Vikings also sack Hamburg and Melun.* November 22 – Count of Vannes,...
. He was succeeded by his son Tahir
Tahir II of Khorasan
Tahir bin 'Abd-Allah was the Tahirid governor of Khurasan from 845 until 862.During his father 'Abd-Allah's lifetime, Tahir was sent into the steppes to the north in order to keep the Oghuz Turks in line; he probably received Samanid assistance in this venture. When 'Abd-Allah died in 844, the...
.
Sources
- "'Abdallah b. Taher." Encyclopaedia Iranica.. 17 September 2006.