Capture of Basra

Last updated
Capture of Basra
Part of Zutt Rebellion
DateEarly 9th century
Location
Basra, Abbasid Caliphate (modern-day Iraq)
Result

Zutt victory

  • Establishment of independent Zutt rule in Basra
Belligerents
Zutts Abbasid Caliphate
Commanders and leaders
Muhammad ibn Uthman

Al-Ma'mun [1]

Al-Mu'tasim [2]
Strength
Unknown Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

The Capture of Basra was a significant event during the Zutt Rebellion, in which the Zutts seized control of the city and ruled it independently. The rebellion stemmed from their dominance over waterways and canals, allowing them to exert control over vital resources and trade routes in the region.

Contents

Background

The Zutts originated from the Indus Valley (Pakistan) and settled in the marshlands of southern Iraq, particularly between Wasit and Basra. Their strategic occupation of these marshlands allowed them to dominate the waterways and canals, which were critical for trade and agriculture. This dominance allowed them to challenge Abbasid authority and exert pressure on the surrounding regions. [3] [4] [5]

Over time, their influence grew, posing a serious threat to the Abbasid Caliphate. Under the leadership of Muhammad ibn Uthman, the Zutts organized themselves militarily and expanded their control to key locations such as Kufa, Wasit, Al-Jazira, and the outskirts of Baghdad. Their control over resources disrupted food supplies and trade routes, causing economic and logistical challenges for the Abbasids. [6]

The Abbasid Caliph Al-Mu'tasim later attempted to suppress the Zutt rebellion by transporting some of their people to Ayn Zarba, a frontier district, in an effort to break their control over the marshlands. [7]

Abu Ishaq al-Fazari refused to purchase land in this frontier district, considering it suspect due to its history of conquest and transfer among groups of soldiers who did not properly divide it. He believed such lands lacked legitimate ownership, making them unlawful for trade or settlement. [8]

Action

The Zutts launched their offensive against Basra by using their control over the waterways and marshlands, which provided both strategic mobility and natural defenses. Using their expertise in navigating the canals, they were able to launch surprise raids and disrupt supply routes, isolating Basra from reinforcements.

The Abbasid forces struggled to counter the Zutt tactics due to the challenging terrain of the marshlands, which hindered conventional military maneuvers. The Zutts employed guerrilla-style warfare, conducting ambushes and hit-and-run attacks that inflicted heavy losses on Abbasid troops. Their ability to retreat swiftly into the marshes made it difficult for the Abbasids to mount an effective counteroffensive. [9]

The Zutts eventually stormed Basra, overwhelming its defenses and capturing the city. Following their victory, they established an independent rule and fortified their control over the region. The capture of Basra marked a turning point in the rebellion, as the Zutts expanded their influence into Wasit, Kufa, and other key territories, further destabilizing Abbasid authority [10] [11] [12]

Aftermath

The capture of Basra by the Zutts had significant long-term consequences for the region and the Abbasid Caliphate. After their victory, the Zutts established an independent rule in Basra and the surrounding areas. The Abbasids, while initially caught off guard by the speed and effectiveness of the Zutt offensive, eventually responded with efforts to reclaim the lost territories.

In the years following the capture, the Abbasids attempted to consolidate their power by launching several military campaigns to regain Basra and its strategic waterways. These efforts, however, were stopped by the difficult terrain of the marshlands and the guerrilla tactics employed by the Zutts, making it difficult for the Abbasid forces to sustain long-term military engagements.

The Zutt victory in Basra disrupted Abbasid control over vital resources and trade routes, significantly weakening their economic position. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

The Kharijites were an Islamic sect which emerged during the First Fitna (656–661). The first Kharijites were supporters of Ali who rebelled against his acceptance of arbitration talks to settle the conflict with his challenger, Mu'awiya, at the Battle of Siffin in 657. They asserted that "judgment belongs to God alone," which became their motto, and that rebels such as Mu'awiya had to be fought and overcome according to Qur'anic injunctions. Ali defeated the Kharijites at the Battle of Nahrawan in 658, but their insurrection continued. Ali was assassinated in 661 by a Kharijite dissident seeking revenge for the defeat at Nahrawan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zanj Rebellion</span> Revolt against the Abbasid Caliphate

The Zanj Rebellion was a major revolt against the Abbasid Caliphate, which took place from 869 until 883. Begun near the city of Basra in present-day southern Iraq and led by one Ali ibn Muhammad, the insurrection involved both enslaved and freed East Africans or Abyssinians exported in the Indian Ocean slave trade and transported to slavery in the Abbasid Caliphate in the Middle East, principally to drain the region's salt marshes. It grew to involve slaves and freemen, including both Eastern Africans and Arabs, from several regions of the Caliphate, and claimed tens of thousands of lives before it was fully defeated.

Yazid ibn al-Muhallab al-Azdi was a commander and statesman for the Umayyad Caliphate in Iraq and Khurasan in the early 8th century. In 720, he led the last of a series of wide scale Iraqi rebellions against the Umayyads.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wasit</span> Ancient city in Iraq

Wasit was an early Islamic city in Iraq. It was founded in the 8th century by the Umayyad viceroy of Iraq, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, to serve as the region's seat and as the garrison of the Syrian troops who enforced Umayyad rule there. It was situated between the two traditional administrative centers and garrisons of Iraq, Kufa and Basra, hence its name Wasit. The city was abandoned centuries later and its ruins are located in the eponymous Wasit Governorate, southeast of Kut in southeastern Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraq–Pakistan relations</span> Bilateral relations

Iraq and Pakistan established diplomatic relations in 1947. Cultural interaction and economic trade between Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley date back to 1800 BCE. In 1955, both Iraq and Pakistan joined the Baghdad Pact, a military alliance against the Soviet Union. However, when the king of Iraq was assassinated in 1958, Iraq pulled out of the Baghdad Pact, which was subsequently renamed to the Central Treaty Organization (CENTO). During the Ba'athist era, relations were at times cordial and sometimes hostile. However, following the 2003 invasion of Iraq that toppled the Ba'athist government, bilateral relations have stabilized; Pakistan has supported Iraq in its fight against the Islamic State and other militant groups active in the Iraqi conflict. Iraq maintains an embassy in Islamabad while Pakistan maintains an embassy in Baghdad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbasid revolution</span> 747–750 overthrow of the Umayyad caliphate

The Abbasid revolution, also called the Movement of the Men of the Black Raiment, was the overthrow of the Umayyad caliphate, the second of the four major caliphates in Islamic history, by the third, the Abbasid caliphate.

The Alid revolt of 762–763 or Revolt of Muhammad the Pure Soul was an uprising by the Hasanid branch of the Alids against the newly established Abbasid Caliphate. The Hasanids, led by the brothers Muhammad and Ibrahim, rejected the legitimacy of the Abbasid family's claim to power. Reacting to mounting persecution by the Abbasid regime, in 762 they launched a rebellion, with Muhammad rising in revolt at Medina in September and Ibrahim following in Basra in November.

Sind was an administrative division of the Umayyad Caliphate and later of the Abbasid Caliphate in post-classical India, from around 711 CE with the Umayyad conquest of Sindh by the Arab military commander Muhammad ibn al-Qasim, to around 854 CE with the emergence of the independent dynasties of the Habbarid Emirate in Sindh proper and the Emirate of Multan in Punjab. The "Governor of Sind" was an official who administered the caliphal province over what are now Sindh, southern Punjab and Makran (Balochistan) in Pakistan.

Adi ibn Artah al-Fazari was an official in the service of the Umayyad dynasty, serving as governor of Basra during the caliphate of 'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz from 717 to 720. He was killed shortly after during the revolt of Yazid ibn al-Muhallab.

Habib ibn al-Muhallab al-Azdi was an Umayyad provincial governor and military commander, and a member of the Muhallabid family. He later participated in the revolt of his brother Yazid ibn al-Muhallab and was killed in the Battle of al-Aqr.

Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath, commonly known as Ibn al-Ash'ath after his grandfather, was a prominent Arab nobleman and military commander during the Umayyad Caliphate, most notable for leading a failed rebellion against the Umayyad viceroy of the east, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, in 700–703.

The siege of Wasit involved the army of the Abbasid Revolution under al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba and the future Caliph al-Mansur, and the Umayyad garrison of Wasit under the last Umayyad governor of Iraq, Yazid ibn Umar ibn Hubayra. Yazid had been forced to abandon Kufa due to a rebellion by Abbasid sympathizers, and fled to Wasit, where he was besieged for 11 months, from August/September 749 to his surrender in June/July 750. The siege was marked by constant sallies and attacks, but as it progressed, the Umayyad garrison's morale collapsed and the internal divisions among the Qays and Yaman tribes began to manifest themselves. After news of the defeat of the Umayyad Caliph Marwan II at the Battle of the Zab and the Abbasid conquest of Syria arrived at Wasit, defections began. Yazid nevertheless held out for a few more months, until he received a pardon for himself and his followers from the Abbasid Caliph al-Saffah. Nevertheless, Yazid and his senior officers were executed soon after on al-Saffah's orders.

Isa ibn Yazid al-Juludi was a ninth century military commander for the Abbasid Caliphate. He twice served as governor of Egypt, from 827 to 829 and again from 829 to 830.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraq theater (Zanj Rebellion)</span>

The Iraq theater was one of two major areas of operations during the Zanj Rebellion, the other being the neighboring province of al-Ahwaz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ibadi revolt</span>

The Ibadi revolt was an Ibadi Kharijite uprising that occurred in ca. 747–748 against the Umayyad Caliphate. It established the first Ibadi imamate, a short-lived state located in the Arabian Peninsula.

Al-Husayn ibn Jamil was a governor of Egypt for the Abbasid Caliphate, from 806 to 808.

Muhammad bin Uthman was a rebel leader who played a key role in the Zutt Rebellion, which took place in Iraq in the early 9th century CE. He was born into a family of the Zutt tribe who had settled in the region around Basra, and he rose to prominence as a military commander and political figure during the reign of Caliph al-Ma'mun.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zutt Rebellion</span>

Zutt Rebellion was a rebellion by the Zutt (Jats) Who were inhabitants of lower Indus Valley (Pakistan), between 810 and 835 in Iraq during the reign of al-Ma'mun and continued to the era of al-Mu'tasim.

Zuṭṭ is an Arabicised form of Jat. Originally inhabitants of lower Indus Valley, Jats were present in Mesopotamia from the 5th century AD since the times of the Sasanian Empire, although their main migration occurred after the establishment of Umayyad Caliphate. They were one of the prominent ethnic groups in lower Iraq during the Islamic Golden Age, supplying mercenary soldiers to the Muslim states. Their mention fades from Arab chronicles after the 11th century.

The Capture of Wasit occurred in 834 CE when the Zutt seized the strategic city of Wasit in Iraq during their rebellion against the Abbasid Caliphate. The Zutt, originally from the Indus Valley region, had established dominance over the marshlands between Wasit and Basra.

References

  1. ↑ Meri, Josef W. (2006). Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Routledge. p. 473. ISBN   9780415966900.
  2. ↑ Ayalon, David (1986). Studies in Islamic History and Civilization: In Honour of Professor David Ayalon. Brill. p. 338.
  3. ↑ Ali, Shahbaz (2016). The Arains: A Historical Perspective. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. p. 142. ISBN   9781532781179. Zutts who inhabited the mountains of Baluchistan and deserts of Sindh. These two groups had divided the region among themselves and frequently fought with each other. The legendary migration of the Sakas to southern Indus Valley.
  4. ↑ Westphal-Hellbusch, Sigrid; Westphal, Heinz (1986). The Jat of Pakistan. Dunker & Humblot. p. 67. ISBN   9783428067713. ...the Zutt from Pakistan to Iraq, it came from the Indian subcontinent...{{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  5. ↑ Westphal-Hellbusch, Sigrid; Westphal, Heinz (1964). Zur Geschichte und Kultur der Jat. E.J. Brill. p. 12. ISBN   9789004067592. Arabic Geographers and Historians speak of the Zutt living in the Lower Indus Valley, "between Makran and Mansura" and sharing Sindh with the Meds.
  6. ↑ Andersson, Tobias (2018). Early Sunnī Historiography: A Study of the Tārīkh of Khalīfa B. Khayyāṭ. Brill. p. 77. ISBN   9789004383173.
  7. ↑ Al-Baladhuri, Ahmad b. Yahya (2022). History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   9780755637416.
  8. ↑ Al-Baladhuri, Ahmad b. Yahya (2022). History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   9780755637416.
  9. ↑ Popovic, Alexandre. The Revolt of African Slaves in Iraq in the 3rd/9th Century. Archive.org. p. 13.
  10. ↑ Andersson, Tobias (2018). Early Sunnī Historiography: A Study of the Tārīkh of Khalīfa B. Khayyāṭ. Brill. p. 77. ISBN   9789004383173.
  11. ↑ Al-Baladhuri, Ahmad b. Yahya (2022). History of the Arab Invasions: The Conquest of the Lands. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN   9780755637416.
  12. ↑ Fromherz, Allen James (2024). The Center of the World: A Global History of the Persian Gulf from the Stone Age to the Present. University of California Press. p. 92. ISBN   9780520398566.
  13. ↑ Richardson, Kristina (2021). Roma in the Medieval Islamic World: Literacy, Culture, and Migration. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 26. ISBN   9780755635788.
  14. ↑ Najeebabadi, Akbar Shah (2001). History of Islam (Vol 2). Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah. p. 442. ISBN   9789960892887.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.