Ahmad I bin Mohammed
Encyclopedia
Abu Ja'far Ahmad b. Muhammad (June 21, 906 – March 31, 963) was the amir of Sistan
from 923 until his death. He is responsible for restoring Saffarid rule over Sistan, and was a great patron of the arts.
, having married the latter’s granddaughter.
, who was unpopular in Zarang due to his harsh taxes. Taking advantage of his ties to the Saffarids, Abu Ja’far Ahmad gained the support of the city ‘ayyars
, who stopped an attempt by ‘Abdallah’s son ‘Aziz to maintain control of the town. Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s rule soon expanded outside Zarang; ‘Abdallah’s representative in al-Rukhkhaj
defected to him and the citizens of Bust threw their support behind the Saffarid as well. ‘Abdallah was defeated in battle by Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s supporters, forcing him to make for Samanid
Khurasan
. He was captured, however, and brought back to Zarang in October 923. His capture ended his rule for good.
Although ‘Abdallah was no longer a threat to Abu Ja’far Ahmad, his son ‘Aziz remained opposed to him. Some of Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s supporters turned against him and threw their support behind ‘Aziz, forcing the Saffarid to march on Bust twice to subdue the rebels. ‘Aziz attempted to conquer Sistan but was defeated by a Saffarid army towards the end of 925. He fled to Khurasan, ending his attempt to take over Sistan.
Having successfully defended against the rebels, Abu Ja’far Ahmad sought to expand his realm at the expense of the Abbasid Caliphate, which had been suffering a series of setbacks over the last several years. He therefore sent several of his officials to Kerman
, a province which had formerly belonged to the Saffarids. Taxes were collected by the officials, who then returned to Sistan. Saffarid authority over Kerman was therefore only temporary; the Abbasids held a loose grip on the province for a few more years before the Banu Ilyas
took over in 932.
Abu Ja’far Ahmad continued to be preoccupied with unrest in Bust. He had to personally arrive at the town in 931 to deal with a rebellion, and another force was sent in the following year. Events in the neighboring Samanid amirate also contributed to the troubles. In 930 a plot to overthrow the Samanid amir Nasr b. Ahmad
and replace him with his brothers failed. A few individuals involved in the plot arrived in Bust in 932 at the head of a contingent of troops and attacked the Saffarid governor there. Abu Ja’fa Ahmad was forced to arrive at the head of an army and defeat the fugitives. Because he was frequently needed in Bust and other parts of the eastern provinces, Abu Ja’far Ahmad often left Zarang in the hands of the three sons of one Tahir b. Asnam.
After these initial troubles, Sistan and the outlying provinces calmed down for several years, making for a relatively peaceful period in Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s reign. He was held in high regard by his neighbors; even the Samanids, the historical enemies of the Saffarids, were apparently friendly with him (in fact, the poet Rudaki
praised the Saffarid’s name in a panegyric
at the Samanid court in Bukhara
, see below). Other poets, both Persian
and Arabic, also viewed the amir favorably. Many scholarly gatherings in Sistan were conducted, and were attended by leaders in the field such as Abu Sulayman Muhammad al-Sijistani and Nasafi.
This peace was not to last, however. Different factions outside the capital soon came to violence against each other, forcing the dispatch of the army. From the 950s on there was continuing unrest in Sistan. In the meantime, the three sons of Tahir b. Asnam who sometimes governed in Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s name when he was absent from Zarang fell from favor and were imprisoned. In their place, Abu’l-Fath, the commander of the army, took over many functions of the government. He eventually revolted, however, and gained a large degree of support from the people outside of Zarang. Abu’l-Fath was further supported by another Saffarid, Abu’l-‘Abbas b. Tahir, who, as a great-grandson of Amr b. Laith, could claim to be directly related to the original Saffarid amirs (in contrast, Ab Ja’far Ahmad could only claim descent from Amr on his mother’s side).
The pretender Abu’l-‘Abbas, together with Abu’l-Fath, advanced against Zarang. Abu Ja’far Ahmad met them in battle, and together with Turkish
reinforcements from Bust, defeated the rebels. Abu’l-Fath fled to Nishapur
, where he eventually died in the summer of 963.
Abu’l-‘Abbas, on the other hand joined a plot with one of Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s Turkish ghulams
. Together, they killed Abu Ja’far Ahmad at a drinking party at the end of March 963 and plundered his treasury. The amir’s son and heir, Abu Ahmad Khalif
, happened to outside of the capital the night of the murder and less than two months later managed to establish himself in Zarang.
Sistan
Sīstān is a border region in eastern Iran , southwestern Afghanistan and northern tip of Southwestern Pakistan .-Etymology:...
from 923 until his death. He is responsible for restoring Saffarid rule over Sistan, and was a great patron of the arts.
Ancestors
Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s father was named Muhammad. Muhammad was very distantly related to the founder of the Saffarid amirate, Ya'qub-i Laith Saffari; his great-great-grandfather had been the brother of Ya’qub’s great-grandfather. Muhammad shared a closer connection with Ya’qub’s brother and successor Amr bin LaithAmr bin Laith
Amr-i Laith Saffari was the second ruler of the Saffarid dynasty of Iran who ruled .In the beginning he was a mule-hirer. He was Yaqub bin Laith as-Saffar's younger brother who fought alongside his older brother and in 875 became Governor of Herat....
, having married the latter’s granddaughter.
Life
Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s rise to power began in May 923, when the people of Zarang proclaimed him amir. Sistan at that time was ruled by 'Abdallah ibn AhmadAbdallah ibn Ahmad
‘Abdallah ibn Ahmad was the amir of Sistan from 922 to 923.‘Abdallah became amir on the night of October 8, 922, when he led an uprising in Zarang against Ahmad ibn Qudam. Most of the people of Zarang supported ‘Abdallah, forcing Ahmad to flee the town; the latter made his way to al-Rukhkhaj and Bust...
, who was unpopular in Zarang due to his harsh taxes. Taking advantage of his ties to the Saffarids, Abu Ja’far Ahmad gained the support of the city ‘ayyars
Ayyarun
Áyyār, refers to a person associated with a class of warriors in Iraq and Iran from the 9th to the 12th centuries. The word literally means vagabond...
, who stopped an attempt by ‘Abdallah’s son ‘Aziz to maintain control of the town. Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s rule soon expanded outside Zarang; ‘Abdallah’s representative in al-Rukhkhaj
Arachosia
Arachosia is the Latinized form of the Greek name of an Achaemenid and Seleucid governorate in the eastern part of their respective empires, around modern-day southern Afghanistan. The Greek term "Arachosia" corresponds to the Iranian land of Harauti which was between Kandahar in Afghanistan and...
defected to him and the citizens of Bust threw their support behind the Saffarid as well. ‘Abdallah was defeated in battle by Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s supporters, forcing him to make for Samanid
Samanid
The Samani dynasty , also known as the Samanid Empire, or simply Samanids was a Persian state and empire in Central Asia and Greater Iran, named after its founder Saman Khuda, who converted to Sunni Islam despite being from Zoroastrian theocratic nobility...
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...
. He was captured, however, and brought back to Zarang in October 923. His capture ended his rule for good.
Although ‘Abdallah was no longer a threat to Abu Ja’far Ahmad, his son ‘Aziz remained opposed to him. Some of Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s supporters turned against him and threw their support behind ‘Aziz, forcing the Saffarid to march on Bust twice to subdue the rebels. ‘Aziz attempted to conquer Sistan but was defeated by a Saffarid army towards the end of 925. He fled to Khurasan, ending his attempt to take over Sistan.
Having successfully defended against the rebels, Abu Ja’far Ahmad sought to expand his realm at the expense of the Abbasid Caliphate, which had been suffering a series of setbacks over the last several years. He therefore sent several of his officials to Kerman
Kerman
- Geological characteristics :For the Iranian paleontologists, Kerman has always been considered a fossil paradise. Finding new dinosaur footprints in 2005 has now revealed new hopes for paleontologists to better understand the history of this area.- Economy :...
, a province which had formerly belonged to the Saffarids. Taxes were collected by the officials, who then returned to Sistan. Saffarid authority over Kerman was therefore only temporary; the Abbasids held a loose grip on the province for a few more years before the Banu Ilyas
Banu Ilyas
The Banu Ilyas or Ilyasids were the rulers of Kerman from 932 until 968. Their capital was Bardasir.-Muhammad b. Ilyas:Abu 'Ali Muhammad b. Ilyas was a member of the Samanid army and was of Sogdian origin. He supported the failed 929 coup against the Samanid amir Nasr b. Ahmad. After the rebellion...
took over in 932.
Abu Ja’far Ahmad continued to be preoccupied with unrest in Bust. He had to personally arrive at the town in 931 to deal with a rebellion, and another force was sent in the following year. Events in the neighboring Samanid amirate also contributed to the troubles. In 930 a plot to overthrow the Samanid amir Nasr b. Ahmad
Nasr I of Samanid
Nasr I was amir of the Samanids . He was the son of Ahmad.Upon his father's death, Nasr inherited Samarkand and a significant part of Transoxiana. He soon found his position isolated from the rest of the Caliphate by the expanding Saffarids...
and replace him with his brothers failed. A few individuals involved in the plot arrived in Bust in 932 at the head of a contingent of troops and attacked the Saffarid governor there. Abu Ja’fa Ahmad was forced to arrive at the head of an army and defeat the fugitives. Because he was frequently needed in Bust and other parts of the eastern provinces, Abu Ja’far Ahmad often left Zarang in the hands of the three sons of one Tahir b. Asnam.
After these initial troubles, Sistan and the outlying provinces calmed down for several years, making for a relatively peaceful period in Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s reign. He was held in high regard by his neighbors; even the Samanids, the historical enemies of the Saffarids, were apparently friendly with him (in fact, the poet Rudaki
Rudaki
Abu Abdollah Jafar ibn Mohammad Rudaki , also written as Rudagi , was a Persian poet, and is regarded as the first great literary genius of the Modern Persian, who composed poems in the "New Persian" alphabet. Rudaki is considered as a founder of Persian classical literature.He was born in 858 in...
praised the Saffarid’s name in a panegyric
Panegyric
A panegyric is a formal public speech, or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical. It is derived from the Greek πανηγυρικός meaning "a speech fit for a general assembly"...
at the Samanid court in Bukhara
Bukhara
Bukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
, see below). Other poets, both Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Arabic, also viewed the amir favorably. Many scholarly gatherings in Sistan were conducted, and were attended by leaders in the field such as Abu Sulayman Muhammad al-Sijistani and Nasafi.
This peace was not to last, however. Different factions outside the capital soon came to violence against each other, forcing the dispatch of the army. From the 950s on there was continuing unrest in Sistan. In the meantime, the three sons of Tahir b. Asnam who sometimes governed in Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s name when he was absent from Zarang fell from favor and were imprisoned. In their place, Abu’l-Fath, the commander of the army, took over many functions of the government. He eventually revolted, however, and gained a large degree of support from the people outside of Zarang. Abu’l-Fath was further supported by another Saffarid, Abu’l-‘Abbas b. Tahir, who, as a great-grandson of Amr b. Laith, could claim to be directly related to the original Saffarid amirs (in contrast, Ab Ja’far Ahmad could only claim descent from Amr on his mother’s side).
The pretender Abu’l-‘Abbas, together with Abu’l-Fath, advanced against Zarang. Abu Ja’far Ahmad met them in battle, and together with Turkish
Turkic peoples
The Turkic peoples are peoples residing in northern, central and western Asia, southern Siberia and northwestern China and parts of eastern Europe. They speak languages belonging to the Turkic language family. They share, to varying degrees, certain cultural traits and historical backgrounds...
reinforcements from Bust, defeated the rebels. Abu’l-Fath fled to 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...
, where he eventually died in the summer of 963.
Abu’l-‘Abbas, on the other hand joined a plot with one of Abu Ja’far Ahmad’s Turkish ghulams
Ghilman
Ghilman Ghilman Ghilman (singular ghulam describes either young servants in paradise or slave-soldiers in the Ottoman, Mughal and Persian Empires.-Islamic Theology:...
. Together, they killed Abu Ja’far Ahmad at a drinking party at the end of March 963 and plundered his treasury. The amir’s son and heir, Abu Ahmad Khalif
Khalaf I
Abu Ahmad Khalaf was the Saffarid amir of Sistan from 963 until 1002. Although he was renowned in the eastern Islamic world as a scholar, his reign was characterized by violence and instability, and Saffarid rule over Sistan came to an end with his deposition.-Early life:Khalaf was born in the...
, happened to outside of the capital the night of the murder and less than two months later managed to establish himself in Zarang.