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By Philip M. Fields
This quantity of Tabari's annals offers nearly completely with the ultimate levels of the Zanj rebel, the main critical exterior problem confronted by way of the vital experts within the final 1/2 the third/ninth century. The uprising, which begun as an 'Alid rebellion, yet quickly gave solution to Kharijite affects, was once a stream that attracted the disenfranchised components of society in decrease Iraq. Their conflict opposed to the confirmed armies of the Caliphate persisted over 3 many years. And whereas the Zanj have been by no means capable of translate their localized successes into any decisive victory, they prompted common chaos and nice hindrance if you happen to had a vested curiosity in political and monetary stability.
In many respects, the Zanj resemble sleek innovative pursuits that stay off the nation-state, and harass the gurus. They emerged sometimes for traditional battles, yet, as a rule they resorted to unconventional struggle, making the most of the super tricky terrain within the marshy parts of the sector that gave upward thrust to them. To defeat them, the govt armies needed to improvise new strategies and a technique in response to the teachings of early defeats.
Read Online or Download The History of al-Ṭabarī, Vol. 37: The ‘Abbāsid Recovery: The War Against the Zanj Ends A.D. 879-893/A.H. 266-279 PDF
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Additional resources for The History of al-Ṭabarī, Vol. 37: The ‘Abbāsid Recovery: The War Against the Zanj Ends A.D. 879-893/A.H. 266-279
Example text
He ordered Nu$ayr to pursue them vigorously through the marshes until entering that part of the Tigris which was called the Blind Tigris (Dijlat al'Awra'1" Then he proceeded to open up the dams which the profligate had built, in order to cut off the barges on the Tigris from access to the area between his position and the waterway known as Abu al-lCha$ib. He sent word to Zirak to stay in Tahithi so that its inhabitants , who had been driven away by the profligate (that is, the leader of the Zanjj , might gradually re58.
Abu Ahmad appointed his son Harun as his deputy over the people he left behind at his camp in Wasil and decided to depart with a mobile group of his officers and troops . He did this after having forwarded an order to his son Harun . The latter was to have the troops and boats which Abu Ahmad had left behind set course for a base on the Tigris. This was to occur as soon as word to this effect was received from Abu Ahmad. (1974) On the first of Jumada II, 267 (January 7, 881 ), Abu Ahmad left Wasif bound for Al-Ahwaz and its districts.
Abu al-'Abbas, wearing a felt vest above his coat of mail, was aboard a galley-he had placed his barge behind him. When he noticed the barge which the Zanj clung to, he rushed toward it. He perceived it just as the Zanj grasped its rudders, surrounding it from all sides, and showered it with arrows and stone. Muhammad (continued): On that day we extracted twentyfive arrows from the felt vest of Abu al-'Abbas. I extracted forty arrows from the felt cap I had on, and from the rest of the sailor's felt caps twenty-five to thirty arrows.