Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah facts for kids

Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah al-Hakami (whose full name was Abu Uqba al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah al-Hakami) was a brave Arab nobleman and general. He was part of the Hakami tribe. During the early 700s, he served as governor in several important areas. These included Basra, Sistan, Khurasan, Armenia, and Adharbayjan.

Al-Jarrah was known as a legendary warrior even during his lifetime. He is most famous for his battles against the Khazars. These fights happened in the Caucasus mountains. His military career ended when he died in the Battle of Marj Ardabil in 730.

Early Life and Career

Al-Jarrah was born in a place called Jund al-Urdunn. This was a military district in Jordan. He likely moved to Iraq around 696. In 701, he fought against a rebellion led by Ibn al-Ash'ath.

Around 706, Al-Jarrah became the governor of Basra. He served under the main governor of Iraq, al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. He stayed in this role until 715. Later, in 717, Caliph Umar II made Al-Jarrah the governor of Khurasan and Sistan.

He held this position for about 17 months. However, he was removed in 719. This happened because some people complained that he treated new converts to Islam unfairly. These converts were still forced to pay a special tax called jizya. After this, Al-Jarrah returned to Iraq. In 720, he helped put down another rebellion.

Battles in the Caucasus

Map of the Caucasus region around 740 AD

Around 721 or 722, a major war began between the Arabs and the Khazars. This war took place in the Caucasus region. In the winter of 721, about 30,000 Khazars invaded Armenia. They badly defeated the local Arab army.

To fight back, Caliph Yazid II sent Al-Jarrah with 25,000 Syrian soldiers to Armenia. Al-Jarrah quickly pushed the Khazars back across the Caucasus mountains. He marched north along the coast of the Caspian Sea. He recaptured Derbent and moved towards the Khazar capital, Balanjar.

The Khazars tried to defend Balanjar. They used wagons to form a circle around their city. But the Arabs broke through and captured the city on August 21, 722. Most of the people in Balanjar were killed or enslaved. Some managed to escape. The Arabs also took another town called Wabandar. They even got close to Samandar.

Even with these wins, the Arabs couldn't completely defeat the Khazars. The main Khazar army was still strong. Al-Jarrah had to pull back to Warthan, south of the Caucasus. He asked for more soldiers, but the Caliph didn't send them.

In February 724, Al-Jarrah won a big battle against the Khazars. This fight lasted several days. After this victory, he captured Tiflis. The people of Tiflis had to pay a tax called kharaj. But they also received special rights. This campaign brought areas like Caucasian Iberia under Muslim control. Al-Jarrah was the first Muslim commander to march through the Darial Pass. This helped protect the Arabs from Khazar attacks. It also gave the Muslim army another way to invade Khazar lands.

However, in 725, the new Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik replaced Al-Jarrah.

Return and Final Battle

In 729, Al-Jarrah was again made governor of Armenia and Adharbayjan. The previous governor had not done well against the Khazars. By the time Al-Jarrah returned, the Arabs had lost control of some areas. They were on the defensive again. Al-Jarrah had to defend Adharbayjan from a Khazar invasion.

In 730, Al-Jarrah went on the attack again. He marched through Tiflis and the Darial Pass. Some Arab records say he reached the Khazar capital, al-Bayda. However, modern historians think this is unlikely. Soon after, he had to retreat to Bardha'a. He needed to defend Arran from a Khazar general named Tharmach.

The Khazars managed to get around Al-Jarrah's forces. They laid siege to Ardabil. This city was the capital of Adharbayjan. About 30,000 Muslim soldiers and their families were gathered there. When Al-Jarrah heard this, he quickly marched to Ardabil.

Outside the city walls, a three-day battle took place from December 7 to 9, 730. Al-Jarrah's army of 25,000 soldiers was almost completely destroyed by the Khazars. Al-Jarrah himself died in the battle. His brother, al-Hajjaj, took command. But he could not stop Ardabil from being sacked. The Khazars raided as far south as Mosul.

An experienced general named Sa'id ibn Amr al-Harashi then took charge. He soon pushed back the invasion. Later, under Marwan ibn Muhammad, the war ended in an Arab victory in 737.

Al-Jarrah's death made many people in the Muslim world very sad. He was already a legendary figure during his life. He was known as the "hero of Islam" and the "Cavalier of the Syrians." People said he was so tall that his head seemed to touch the lamps in the Great Mosque of Damascus.

Sources

• Blankinship, Khalid Yahya (1994). [Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah at Google Books The End of the Jihâd State: The Reign of Hishām ibn ʻAbd al-Malik and the Collapse of the Umayyads]. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-7914-1827-7. Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah at Google Books.
• Crone, Patricia (1980). [Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah at Google Books Slaves on Horses: The Evolution of the Islamic Polity]. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-52940-9. Al-Jarrah ibn Abdallah at Google Books.
• Dunlop, D. M. (1965). "al- D̲j̲arrāḥ b. ʿAbd Allāh". The Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition, Volume II: C–G. Leiden: E. J. Brill. DOI:10.1163/1573-3912_islam_SIM_2012. 
• Powers, Stephan, 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. https://books.google.com/books?id=kIKGclA7YykC.
• Rowson, Everett K., ed. (1989). The History of al-Ṭabarī, Volume XXII: The Marwānid Restoration: The Caliphate of ʿAbd al-Malik, A.D. 693–701/A.H. 74–81. SUNY Series in Near Eastern Studies.. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 978-0-88706-975-8. https://books.google.com/books?id=9VJv8n8jDDMC.