Abd Allah ibn Amir
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Abd Allah ibn Amir | |
---|---|
Governor of Basra | |
In office 647–656; 663–664[ Uthman ibn Hunaif | |
Personal details | |
Born | 626[1] Mecca |
Died | 678 (aged 51–52) |
Parents |
|
Relatives | Arwa bint Kurayz (aunt) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | Rashidun Caliphate |
Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿĀmir ibn Kurayz
Early life
Abd Allah ibn Amir was the son of Amir ibn Kurayz ibn Rabi'ah, the brother of
Conquests during Caliph Umar's rule
Ibn Amir's expeditions were particularly aimed at quelling revolts in former Persian territories.[4]
Conquest of Sakastan
Having secured his position in Kerman, Abd Allah sent an army under Mujashi ibn Mas'ud there. After crossing the
One year later, Abd-Allah ibn Amir sent an army under
Conquest of Estakhr and Fars
The city of Estakhr was destroyed after a battle to take the city and a force of 40,000 defenders including many Sasanian nobles were killed. Abd Allah invaded the Fars province and put an end to the Persian resistance. After the Arab conquest of Pars, the Sasanian king Yazdegerd III fled to Kerman.[7]
Conquest of Khorasan
Later, Abd Allah sent
Conquests during Caliph Uthman
After the death of Caliph Umar and the ascension of Uthman ibn al-Affan as Caliph, some of the just annexed Persian territory rebelled. In the wake of the rebellions Uthman commanded Abd Allah to subjugate the rebellious territories and continue the conquest of the remnants of the Sasanian empire.
Caliph Uthman sanctioned an attack against Makran in 652 AD, and sent a reconnaissance mission to Sindh in 653 AD. The mission described Makran as inhospitable, and Caliph Uthman, probably assuming the country beyond was much worse, forbade any further incursions into India.[10][11]
Conquest of Kerman
The Rashidun caliphate sent two contingents tasked with conquering the Sasanian province of Kerman, headed by Ibn Amir and Suhail, who reached Tabasayn. Then, they advanced towards Nishapur. Ibr Amir and Suhail quickly met opposition, with fighting against the Koch and Baloch, resulting in the death of the governor of Kerman.
Appointment as the Governor of Basra
In 647 AD, Abu Musa al-Ash'ari was deposed from the governorship of Basra. Uthman appointed Ibn Amir as the new Governor of Basra. Ibn Amir was twenty-five years old at that time.
During his tenure as governor in Basra, Ibn Amir changed the town from a merely transient camp to a permanent settlement, and the town gradually become a centre of commerce in Iraq. While Ibn Amir was involved in further conquests to the east, Basra gradually also started to lose her characteristic as a frontier garrison.[12]
Uthman was aiming to solve tensions in the newly-conquered Iraq caused by the sudden influx of Arab tribesmen into garrison towns such as Kufa and Basra. He did so by opening new fronts in territories he aimed to conquer. This aimed to consume and channel the tribesmen's energy towards new military expeditions. When Ibn Amir arrived at Basra, he immediately prepared for new conquests into Persia.[13][14] Ibn Amir reformed Basra in many ways, including the construction of a new irrigation canal and fixing the water supply infrastructure for the use of Hajj pilgrims passing through the area.[15]
Re-conquest of Fars
During Uthman’s reign, the province revolted alongside other Sasanian provinces. Uthman directed Ibn Amir to crush the rebellion.
Accordingly, Ibn Amir marched his forces into Persepolis, which surrendered and agreed to pay tribute. From there, the army marched to the city of Al j bard[clarification needed], where he encountered little resistance. Its citizens agreed to pay tribute.
Ibn Amir then advanced to Gor. The Sasanians fought against his forces, but they were defeated and the city was captured. Peace was made which included the introduction of
Reconquest of Kerman
After suppressing revolts in
Re-conquest of Sistan
Uthman then directed Ibn Amir, who at the time was Governor of Basra, to re-conquer the province. Troops were sent to Sistan under Rabi' ibn Ziyad's command. He re-conquered the area up to what is now Zaranj in Afghanistan. Ibn Ziyad was made governor of Sistan, where he remained for some time. He then returned to Basra, whereupon the province revolted once again, this time affecting a much larger area.
Ibn Amir sent
Re-conquest of Khorasan
Khorasan, a province of the Sasanian Empire, was conquered during the reign of Caliph Umar, by troops under the command of Ahnaf ibn Qais. After Caliph Umar's death, Khorasan was the subject of a series of revolts under Sasanian King Yazdegerd III. But before he could lead the Sasanians against the Muslims, he was betrayed and killed in 651. The same year Caliph Uthman ordered ibn Amir to re-conquer Khorasan. Ibn Amir marched with a large force from Basra to Khorasan to be joined by another contingent led by Said Ibn Al-Aas, who departed from Kufa together with Hudzaifah Ibn Al-Yaman, Husayn ibn Ali and Hasan ibn Ali.[17]
After capturing the main forts in Khorasan, ibn Amir sent many columns invarious directions into Khorasan in order to prevent the Sasanians from gathering into a large force.[4] The town of Bayak, in modern Afghanistan, was taken by force, with a Muslim commander falling in the battle. After Bayak, the Muslims marched towards Tabisan, which was captured with little resistance. The Muslim army captured the city of Nishapur after a long siege. The Muslim army continued capturing other towns in the Khorasan region and consolidated their position in the region. The Muslim army then marched towards Herat in Afghanistan, which surrendered to the Muslims peacefully. After gaining control of the region the Muslims marched towards the city of Merv in modern Turkmenistan. The city surrendered along with other towns in the region except for one, Sang, which was later taken by force. The campaign in Khorasan ended with the conquest of Balkh (Afghanistan) in 654.
However, a second uprising broke out again in Khorasan in the wake of the first Muslim civil war when Muawiya was appointed as Caliph replacing Ali. This revolt was centred in Herat and Balkh. Abd Allah ibn Amir was appointed once again to deal with the revolt. This time the retaliation was fierce and swift and the famous Zoroastrian temple of Nobahar was destroyed.[18]
Campaign in Transoxiana
After consolidating Muslim forces in Khorasan, Abd Allah ibn Amir crossed the
Death of Caliph Uthman and its aftermath
After the successful completion of his campaigns, Abd Allah ibn Amir donned the
During Caliph Ali’s reign
The reign of Caliph
During Muawiyah’s reign
The caliphate of Muawiyah founded the
During his brief rule in Basra under Muawiyah, he had struck Sasanian style coinage which was imprinted with the portrait of the Sassanid
In the wake of civil wars of the early 660s, crime was increasing in Basra. His successor al-Harith ibn Abd Allah al-Azdi failed to maintain public order. When Ziyad ibn Abihi arrived in 665 as governor, he recruited private watchmen who were hired by wealthy people fearing the level of crime in the city. Ziyad then established the "al-Shurta" which consisted of four thousand infantry and cavalry, imposed curfews and put in place draconian laws such as beheading anyone on the streets after the time of evening prayers. He also re-established order on the roads outside Basra by appointing chiefs of Tamim and Bakr clan as the security forces of those roads.[19]
Death
Abd Allah ibn Amir was a well regarded governor of the province of Basra for 9 years (647 – 656). Ibn Amir protested against his dismissal. Nevertheless, Abd Allah ibn Amir left Basra after his dismissal for
See also
- Rashidun Caliphs
- Rashidun Empire
- Rashidun army
- Khalid ibn Walid
- Muslim conquest of Persia
- Military campaigns under Caliph Uthman
References
- ^ Gibb, H.A.R. "ʿAbd Allāh b. ʿĀmir".
- ^ a b "Abdallah ibn Amir ibn Kurayz ibn Rabi'a ibn Habib ibn Abd Shams" (in Arabic). Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2021-04-02.
- ISBN 9781593333157. Archived from the originalon November 18, 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "Governors of Uthman". www.witness-pioneer.org.
- ^ Marshak & Negmatov 1996, p. 449.
- ^ a b Zarrinkub 1975, p. 24.
- ^ a b Morony 1986, pp. 203–210.
- ^ Marshak & Negmatov 1996, p. 450.
- ^ ISBN 9786023919536. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
- ^ Elliot, Henry, "Historians of India: Appendix The Arabs in Sind, Vol III, Part 1", pp9
- ^ Khushalani, Gobind, "Chachnama Retold An Account of the Arab Conquests of Sindh", pp72
- ^ Naji & Ali 1981, p. 298-299.
- ^ Baladhuri Futuh, p. 403 and pp. 418-22
- ^ Shaban, M. A. (1979). The 'Abbāsid Revolution. pp. 17–18.
- ISBN 9789793064666– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9781466958968– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9789790241374– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9781317845867– via Google Books.
- ^ ISBN 9781593333157. Archived from the originalon 2014-01-07.
Bibliography
- Naji, A. J.; Ali, Y. N. (1981). "The Suqs of Basrah: Commercial Organization and Activity in a Medieval Islamic City". Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. 24 (3): 298–309. JSTOR 3631909. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
- Morony, M. (1986). "ʿARAB ii. Arab conquest of Iran". Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. II, Fasc. 2. pp. 203–210.
- Marshak, B.I.; Negmatov, N.N. (1996). "Sogdiana". In B.A. Litvinsky, Zhang Guang-da and R. Shabani Samghabadi (ed.). History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Volume III: The Crossroads of Civilizations: A.D. 250 to 750. ISBN 92-3-103211-9.
- Zarrinkub, Abd al-Husain (1975). "The Arab conquest of Iran and its aftermath". The Cambridge History of Iran, Volume 4: From the Arab Invasion to the Saljuqs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–57. ISBN 978-0-521-20093-6.