Salih ibn Ali
Encyclopedia
Salih ibn Ali ibn Abdallah ibn al-Abbas (711–769 CE) was a member of the Abbasid dynasty who served as general and governor in Syria and Egypt.
overthrow of the Umayyads in 750: the brothers besieged and took the Caliphate
's capital, Damascus
, and then pursued the last Umayyad caliph, Marwan II
, to Egypt
, where he was captured and killed.
Salih was named as the first Abbasid governor of Egypt on 9 August 750. He kept the post for less than a year, being named governor of the Jund Filastin
(Palestine
) in March 751. In this capacity, he sent Sa'id ibn Abdallah in the first raiding expedition of the Abbasid era against Byzantine
Anatolia
. On 8 October 753 he was appointed again as governor of Egypt, a post he held until 21 February 755. At the death of the Caliph al-Saffah – Salih's nephew – in 754, Salih's brother Abdallah launched a revolt in Syria against the new Caliph al-Mansur
, claiming to have been named by the dying Saffah as his successor. Salih refused to join his brother's revolt and even led troops into Syria to help suppress it. He clashed with and defeated Abdallah's governor of Palestine, al-Hakam ibn Da'ban, while Abdallah himself was defeated by Abu Muslim
and forced to submit to Mansur.
Despite Abdallah's rebellion, Salih and his family were now established as the paramount Abbasid potentates in Syria, a position they held for the next half-century, as Salih's sons al-Fadl
, Ibrahim and Abd al-Malik
all held governorships in Syria and Egypt. Salih was also able to appropriate most of the Umayyad dynasty's extensive properties in the area for himself. In addition, he played an important role in the strengthening of the Abbasid-Byzantine frontier, the thughur, re-occupying and rebuilding the former Byzantine cities of Melitene (Malatya), Germanikeia (Mar'ash) and Mopsuestia
(al-Massisa). He died in Syria in 769.
Life
Salih and his brother Abdallah were among the van of the AbbasidAbbasid
The Abbasid Caliphate or, more simply, the Abbasids , was the third of the Islamic caliphates. It was ruled by the Abbasid dynasty of caliphs, who built their capital in Baghdad after overthrowing the Umayyad caliphate from all but the al-Andalus region....
overthrow of the Umayyads in 750: the brothers besieged and took 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...
's capital, Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, and then pursued the last Umayyad caliph, Marwan II
Marwan II
Marwan ibn Muhammad ibn Marwan or Marwan II was an Umayyad caliph who ruled from 744 until 750 when he was killed. He was the last Umayyad ruler to rule from Damascus.In A.H. 114 Caliph Hisham appointed Marwan governor of Armenia and Azerbaijan. In A.H...
, 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 was captured and killed.
Salih was named as the first Abbasid governor of Egypt on 9 August 750. He kept the post for less than a year, being named governor of the Jund Filastin
Jund Filastin
Jund Filastin was one of several sub-provinces of the Ummayad and Abbasid Caliphate province of Syria, organized soon after the Muslim conquest of Syria in the seventh century. According to al-Biladhuri, the main towns in the district at its capture by the Rashidun Caliphate, were Gaza, Sebastiya,...
(Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
) in March 751. In this capacity, he sent Sa'id ibn Abdallah in the first raiding expedition of the Abbasid era against Byzantine
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. On 8 October 753 he was appointed again as governor of Egypt, a post he held until 21 February 755. At the death of the Caliph al-Saffah – Salih's nephew – in 754, Salih's brother Abdallah launched a revolt in Syria against the new Caliph al-Mansur
Al-Mansur
Al-Mansur, Almanzor or Abu Ja'far Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mansur was the second Abbasid Caliph from 136 AH to 158 AH .-Biography:...
, claiming to have been named by the dying Saffah as his successor. Salih refused to join his brother's revolt and even led troops into Syria to help suppress it. He clashed with and defeated Abdallah's governor of Palestine, al-Hakam ibn Da'ban, while Abdallah himself was defeated by Abu Muslim
Abu Muslim
- External links :* *...
and forced to submit to Mansur.
Despite Abdallah's rebellion, Salih and his family were now established as the paramount Abbasid potentates in Syria, a position they held for the next half-century, as Salih's sons al-Fadl
Al-Fadl ibn Salih
Al-Fadl ibn Salih ibn Ali ibn Abdillah ibn Abbas was the Abbasid governor of a number of different provinces in what is now modern-day Syria during the late 8th-century CE. He was also governor of Egypt for a brief period of time...
, Ibrahim and Abd al-Malik
Abd al-Malik ibn Salih
Abd al-Malik ibn Salih ibn Ali was a member of the Abbasid dynasty who served as general and governor in Syria and Egypt. He distinguished himself in several raids against the Byzantine Empire, but his great influence and authority in Syria caused Caliph Harun al-Rashid to imprison him in 803...
all held governorships in Syria and Egypt. Salih was also able to appropriate most of the Umayyad dynasty's extensive properties in the area for himself. In addition, he played an important role in the strengthening of the Abbasid-Byzantine frontier, the thughur, re-occupying and rebuilding the former Byzantine cities of Melitene (Malatya), Germanikeia (Mar'ash) and Mopsuestia
Mopsuestia
Mopsuestia , later Mamistra, is the ancient city of Cilicia Campestris on the Pyramus river located approximately 20 km east of ancient Antiochia in Cilicia .The founding of this city is attributed in legend to the soothsayer, Mopsus, who lived before the Trojan war, although...
(al-Massisa). He died in Syria in 769.