Table Of ContentThe
History of al-Tabari
Storm and Stress
along the Northern Frontiers of the
'Abba'sid Caliphate
Volume XXXIII
Translated by C. E. Bosworth
This section of al-Tabar s Historycovers the eight-year
reign of al-Mu'tpsim (833-42), immediately following
the reign of his elder brother al-Ma'miin, when the
Islamic caliphate was once more united after the civil
strife and violence of the second decade of the ninth
century A.D. Al-Mu'tiLsim's reign is notable for the
transfer of the administrative capital of the caliphate
from Baghdad north to the military settlement of
Simard on the Tigris, where it was to remain for some
sixty years. This move meant a significant increase in the
caliphs' dependence on their Turkish slave guards. Al-
Mu't#sim's reign was also marked by periods of intense
militaryactivity along the northern fringes of the Islamic
lands: against the Byzantines in Anatolia; against the
sectarian Bibak and his followers--the "wearersof red,"
the Khurramiyyah--in northwestern Persia;and against
the politically ambitious local prince Mazyar in the
Caspian provinces of Persia. These episodes cake up the
greater partof al-Tabari's account of al-Mu'tgsim's reign,
and he has provided graphic and detailed narratives of
the respective campaigns. including valuable details on
military organization and tactics during this period.
SUNYSeries in Near Eastern Studies
Said Amir Arjomand. Editor ISBN: 479140494-3
The State University of New York Press
THE HISTORY OF AL-TABARI
AN ANNOTATED TRANSLATION
VOLUME XXXIII
Storm and Stress along the Northern Frontiers of the
`Abbasid Caliphate
THE CALIPHATE OF AL-MU'TA$IM
A.D. 833-841/A.H. 218-227
The Historyof al-Tabari
Editorial Board
IhsanAbbas, Universityof Jordan, Amman
C. E. Bosworth, The University of Manchester
Everett K. Rowson, The Universityof Pennsylvania
Franz Rosenthal, Yale University
Ehsan Yar-Shater, Columbia University (General Editor)
Estelle Whelan, Editorial Coordinator
SUNY
SERIESIN NEAR EASTERN STUDIES
Said Amir Arjomand, Editor
The preparation of this volume was made possible in part by
a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities,
an independent federal agency.
Bibliotheca Persica
Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater
The History of al-Tabari
(Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'l muluk)
VOLUME XXXIII
Storm and Stress along the Northern
Frontiers of the
`Abbasid Caliphate
translated and annotated
by
C. E. Bosworth
Universityof Manchester
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press,Albany
© 199 1 State University of New York
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.
For information,address State University of New York
Press, State University Plaza,Albany,N.Y. 12.2-46
Libraryof Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Tabari,8;8?-913.
)Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-muluk.English. Selections)
Storm and stress along the northern frontiers of the 'Abbasid
caliphate/translated and annotatedby C. E.Bosworth.
p. cm.-(SUNYseries in Near Eastern studies) (Bibliotheca
Persica) (The history of al-Tabari-Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'1 muluk; v.
33)
Translation of extracts from: Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-muluk.
Includesbibliographical references.
ISBN 0-7914-0493-5 (alk. paper).-ISBN 0-7914-0494-3 (pbk.:
alk. paper)
r. IslamicEmpire-History-75o-1258. 1. Bosworth,
CliffordEdmund. H. Title. III. Series. IV. Series:Bibliotheca Persica
(Albany, N.Y.) V. Series: Tabari, 838?-913. Ta'rikh al-rusul wa-al-
muluk. English; v. 33.
DS3S.z.T313 vol. 33
1DS38.6)
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Preface
THE HISTORY OF PROPHETS AND KINGS (Ta'rikh al-rusul wa'l-
muluk) by Abu Ja`far Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (839-923),
here rendered as the History of al-Tabari,is by common consent
the most important universal history produced in the world of
Islam. It has been translated here in its entiretyfor the first time
for the benefit of non-Arabists, with historical and philological
notes for those interested in the particulars of the text.
Al-Tabari's monumental work explores the history of the
ancient nations, with special emphasis on biblical peoples and
prophets, the legendary and factual history ofancient Iran, and, in
great detail, the rise of Islam, the life of the Prophet Muhammad,
and the history of the Islamic world down to the year 9115. The
first volume of this translation contains a biography of al-Tabari
and a discussion of the method, scope, and value of his work. It
also provides information on some of the technical con-
siderations that have guided the work of the translators.
The History has been divided here into 39 volumes, each of
which covers about two hundred pages of the original Arabic text
in the Leiden edition. An attempt has been made to draw the
dividing lines between the individual volumes in such a way that
each is to some degree independent and can be read as such. The
page numbers of the Leiden edition appear on the margins of the
translated volumes.
Al-Tabari very often quotes his sources verbatim and traces the
chain of transmission (isndd) to an original source. The chains of
vi Preface
transmitters are, for the sake of brevity, rendered by only a dash
(-) between the individual links in the chain. Thus, "According
to Ibn Humayd-Salamah-Ibn Ishaq" means that al-Tabari
received the report from Ibn Humayd, who said that he was told
by Salamah, who said that he was told by Ibn Ishaq, and so on.
The numerous subtle and important differences in the original
Arabic wording have been disregarded.
The table of contents at the beginning of each volume gives a
brief survey of the topics dealt with in that particular volume. It
also includes the headings and subheadings as they appear in
al-Tabari's text, as well as those occasionally introduced by the
translator.
Well-known place names, such as, for instance, Mecca,
Baghdad, Jerusalem, Damascus, and the Yemen, are given in their
English spellings. Less common place names, which are the vast
majority, are transliterated. Biblical figures appear in the accepted
English spelling. Iranian names are usually transcribed according
to their Arabic forms, and the presumed Iranian forms are often
discussed in the footnotes.
Technical terms have been translated wherever possible, but
some, such as dirham and imam, have been retained in Arabic
forms. Others that cannot be translated with sufficient precision
have been retained and italicized, as well as footnoted.
The annotation aims chiefly at clarifying difficult passages,
identifying individuals and place names, and discussing textual
difficulties. Much leeway has been left to the translators to
include in the footnotes whatever they consider necessary and
helpful.
The bibliographies list all the sources mentioned in the
annotation.
The index in each volume contains all the names of persons
and places referred to in the text, as well as those mentioned in
the notes as far as they refer to the medieval period. It does not
include the names of modern scholars. A general index, it is
hoped, will appear after all the volumes have been published.
For further details concerning the series and acknowledgments,
see Preface to Volume I.
Ehsan Yar-Shater
e
Contents
Preface / v
Abbreviations / xi
Translator's Foreword / xiii
Table I. Genealogy of the 'Abbasids / xx
Map I. The Central Lands of the Caliphate during the Reign of
al-Mu'tasim / xxi
The Events of the Year 2 r8 (cont 'd) (8331834) / z
The Succession of Abu Ishaq al-Mu`ta$im on His Brother
al-Ma'miin's Death / i
An Expedition Sent against the Khurramiyyah / z
The Events of the Year 2r9 (8341835) / S
The Rebellion of the 'Alid Muhammad b. al-Qasim at al-
Talagan / S
The Campaign against the Zull / 7
The Events of the Year 22o (835) / ro
The Deportation of the Captured Zull / ro
viii Contents
The Affairof Babak and His Outbreak / 14
The Reasonfor ThisBattle between al-Afshin and Babak / 19
The Reasonfor al-Mu`tasim's Departure for al-Qatul / z5
The Reason behind al-Mu`tasim's Anger against al-Fadl b.
Marwan and His Imprisoningof theLatter, and the Reason for
al-Fadl's Connection with al-Mu`tasim / z8
The Events of the Year 221 (8351836) / 36
The Clashes of Bugha al-Kabir andal-Afshin withBabak, and the
Reasons behind them / 36
The Killingof Babak's CommanderTarkhan / 43
The Events of the Year 222 (836/837) / 46
The Engagement between al-Afshin's Forces and Babak's
Commander Adhin and Its Causes / 46
The Capture of al-Badhdh, How It Was Achieved,and the Reasons
for This / 50
The Events of the Year 223 (8371838) / 84
AI-Afshin's Bringing of Babak and His Brother to al-Mu`tasim at
Samarra and Their Execution / 84
The Byzantine Emperor's Attacks on the Muslims at Zibatrah
and Malatyah / 93
The Reason for the Byzantine Ruler's BehavingThuswith the
Muslims / 94
Al-Mu`tasim's Campaign against Ammuriyyah / 97
The Reason for al-Mu`tasim's Imprisoningal-`Abbas b. al-
Ma'mun / 12. r
The Events of the Year 224 (8381839) / 135
The Reasonfor Mazyar's Open Rebellion against al-Mu`tasim and
His Severe Measures with the People of the Plain / 1136
The Storyof the Poet Abu Shas / 155
The Continuation of the Operations against Mazyar and His
Captureand Execution / 156
The Reason behind Minkajur's Rebellion in Adharbayjan / 175
Description:This section of al-Tabari's History covers the eight-year reign of al-Mu'tasim (833-42), immediately following the reign of his elder brother al-Ma'mun, when the Islamic caliphate was once more united after the civil strife and violence of the second decade of the ninth century A.D. Al-Mu'tasim's re
