Relief of Qasr al-Bahili
Relief of Qasr al-Bahili | |||||||
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Part of the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana | |||||||
![]() Map of Khurasan and Transoxiana in the 8th century | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Umayyad Caliphate |
Khaganate | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
al-Musayyab al-Riyahi |
Kursul | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
100 families in the fort, c. 1,000 men in the relief force | Unknown |
The Relief of Qasr al-Bahili was the successful relief of the
The siege marked the beginning of the Türgesh invasion of Transoxiana, which the Arabs had only recently subdued, and which became a battleground between the two empires for the following two decades.[2]
Background
The region of
The situation was made worse by the incompetence of the Arab governor Abd al-Rahman ibn Nu'aym.[7] His successor Sa'id, who took office in 720, was not much better: he had no experience of the province and his unwarlike nature earned him the mocking sobriquet Khudhnaynah (lit. 'the Flirt'), from the Khurasanis.[7][1] Sa'id appointed the capable Shu'bah ibn Zuhayr al-Nahshali as his deputy in Samarkand, but after the locals rioted, he was dismissed and replaced by Uthman ibn Abdallah ibn Mutarrif ibn al-Shikhkhir, perhaps, as H. A. R. Gibb writes, "in a vain attempt to appease the insurgents".[8][7]
Siege and relief of Qasr al-Bahili
The weakness of the Arab administration, and the petitions of the Transoxianian princes, led the Türgesh ruler, the
When the Arab governor of Samarkand, Uthman ibn Abdallah ibn Mutarrif ibn al-Shikhkhir, learned of the Türgesh attack, he called for volunteers from the Arab settlers of Khurasan.
When he was two farsakhs from the fort, al-Musayyab sent two riders, one Arab and one non-Arab, to approach the fort and scout out the situation under cover of night. Although the Türgesh had flooded the area around the castle to obstruct access, they managed to make contact with the garrison and inform them of the Arab army's approach, before returning to al-Musayyab.[15] When his spies informed him of the situation, al-Musayyab decided to march immediately, and attack the Türgesh under cover of night. He instructed his men to muzzle their horses until the attack, and to focus on breaking the enemy resistance, rather than pursue anyone fleeing the battle.[16]
With the break of dawn, the Arabs, who had approached within two bowshots of the Türgesh camp, issued the cry "
Aftermath
The relief of the fortress was celebrated and retold in story and song, but it also revealed the precarious situation the Muslims now faced.
Widespread dissatisfaction with the Arab rule resulted in a general uprising of Transoxiana in 728, and, with Türgesh military aid, the Arabs were evicted from almost the entire region, even invading Khurasan itself in 737. Transoxiana thereafter remained contested, and the Arabs did not recover their previous position until the campaigns of the Umayyad governor Nasr ibn Sayyar in 739–741, who took advantage of the collapse of the Türgesh khaganate into civil wars after Suluk's murder in 738.[2][24]
References
- ^ a b c Kennedy 2007, p. 278.
- ^ a b Daniel 2010, p. 457.
- ^ Blankinship 1994, pp. 19, 29–30.
- ^ Gibb 1923, pp. 29–58.
- ^ Blankinship 1994, pp. 109–110.
- ^ Gibb 1923, p. 60.
- ^ a b c Gibb 1923, p. 61.
- ^ Powers 1989, pp. 150–152.
- ^ a b Blankinship 1994, pp. 125–126.
- ^ Gibb 1923, pp. 60–61.
- ^ Powers 1989, pp. 152–153.
- ^ a b c Powers 1989, p. 153.
- ^ Powers 1989, pp. 153–154.
- ^ Powers 1989, p. 154.
- ^ Powers 1989, pp. 154–155.
- ^ Powers 1989, p. 155.
- ^ Powers 1989, pp. 155–156.
- ^ Powers 1989, p. 158.
- ^ Powers 1989, pp. 156–157.
- ^ Kennedy 2007, p. 279.
- ^ Gibb 1923, pp. 61–65.
- ^ Blankinship 1994, pp. 126–127.
- ^ Gibb 1923, pp. 65–69.
- ^ Blankinship 1994, pp. 128, 176–185.
Sources
- ISBN 978-0-7914-1827-7.
- ISBN 978-0-521-83823-8.
- OCLC 499987512.
- ISBN 978-0-306-81740-3.
- Powers, David S., ed. (1989). The History of al-Ṭabarī, Volume XXIV: The Empire in Transition: The Caliphates of Sulaymān, ʿUmar, and Yazīd, A.D. 715–724/A.H. 96–105. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-0072-2.