Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i
Encyclopedia
Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i (died 27 August 749) was a follower of the Abbasids from Khurasan who played a leading role in the Abbasid Revolt against the Ummayad Caliphate.
Qahtaba was a Khurasani, belonging to the Yemeni tribal confederation that formed the bulk of the local Muslim population. He had journeyed to Mecca
, where the imam of the Hashimiyya Ibrahim ibn appointed him as the military leader for the upcoming anti-Ummayad uprising in Khurasan. This appointment was accepted by the main Abbasid leader, Abu Muslim
, and following the fall of Merv
to the Abbasids and their supporters in February 748, Qahtaba was placed in command of the Abbasid forces that pursued the last Ummayad governor of Khurasan, Nasr ibn Sayyar
. His army took Nishapur
, where Nasr had sought refuge, defeated a 10,000-strong Ummayad force at Gurgan in August and subsequently took Rayy. There he wintered, and in March 749 he defeated a larger Ummayad army under Amir ibn Djubara, allegedly 50,000 strong, near Isfahan. Nihavand fell after a short siege and the Abbasid army began moving towards Iraq
. Qahtaba's army advanced swiftly with the aim of taking Kufa
, but was confronted by the Ummayad governor, Yazid ibn Hubayra. Qahtaba was able to launch a surprise night attack on the Ummayad camp, forcing Yazid and his troops to flee to Wasit. Qahtaba himself fell in this battle, but his son al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba assumed command and took possession of Kufa on 2 September. Both al-Hasan and his brother, Humayd ibn Qahtaba, were important military leaders in the early decades of the Abbasid regime.
Qahtaba was a Khurasani, belonging to the Yemeni tribal confederation that formed the bulk of the local Muslim population. He had journeyed to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
, where the imam of the Hashimiyya Ibrahim ibn appointed him as the military leader for the upcoming anti-Ummayad uprising in Khurasan. This appointment was accepted by the main Abbasid leader, Abu Muslim
Abu Muslim
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, and following the fall of Merv
Merv
Merv , formerly Achaemenid Satrapy of Margiana, and later Alexandria and Antiochia in Margiana , was a major oasis-city in Central Asia, on the historical Silk Road, located near today's Mary in Turkmenistan. Several cities have existed on this site, which is significant for the interchange of...
to the Abbasids and their supporters in February 748, Qahtaba was placed in command of the Abbasid forces that pursued the last Ummayad governor of Khurasan, Nasr ibn Sayyar
Nasr ibn Sayyar
Nasr ibn Sayyar was an Arab general and the last Umayyad governor of Khurasan in 738–748. An experienced commander in the wars against the Turgesh, as governor he introduced tax reforms in his province and stabilized Umayyad control beyond the Oxus...
. His army took 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 Nasr had sought refuge, defeated a 10,000-strong Ummayad force at Gurgan in August and subsequently took Rayy. There he wintered, and in March 749 he defeated a larger Ummayad army under Amir ibn Djubara, allegedly 50,000 strong, near Isfahan. Nihavand fell after a short siege and the Abbasid army began moving towards 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....
. Qahtaba's army advanced swiftly with the aim of taking Kufa
Kufa
Kufa is a city in Iraq, about south of Baghdad, and northeast of Najaf. It is located on the banks of the Euphrates River. The estimated population in 2003 was 110,000....
, but was confronted by the Ummayad governor, Yazid ibn Hubayra. Qahtaba was able to launch a surprise night attack on the Ummayad camp, forcing Yazid and his troops to flee to Wasit. Qahtaba himself fell in this battle, but his son al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba assumed command and took possession of Kufa on 2 September. Both al-Hasan and his brother, Humayd ibn Qahtaba, were important military leaders in the early decades of the Abbasid regime.