Nasr ibn Sayyar facts for kids

Nasr ibn Sayyar (663 – 9 December 748) was an important Arab general. He was the last governor of Khurasan for the Umayyad Caliphate from 738 to 748.

Nasr was a key figure in the wars against the Turgesh, a group of Turkic people. He also tried to handle a rebellion led by al-Harith ibn Surayj. People respected Nasr as a soldier and a leader. He was chosen as governor partly because his family background meant he would rely on the caliph (the ruler).

His time as governor was successful. Nasr made important changes to taxes that helped reduce tensions among people. He also brought back control for the Umayyads in Transoxiana, a region that had been lost during the Turgesh attacks.

However, his last years were filled with conflicts between different Arab tribes and other uprisings. The Umayyad Caliphate itself was going through a civil war. In 746, Nasr was forced out of his capital city by Ibn Surayj and Juday al-Kirmani. But he returned after these two leaders fought each other, which led to Ibn Surayj's death.

While Nasr was busy with these conflicts, he couldn't stop the start and spread of the Abbasid Revolution. The leader of this revolution, Abu Muslim, used the chaos to his advantage. Nasr was forced to leave his province in early 748. He fled to Persia with Abbasid forces chasing him. He died there on 9 December 748.

Nasr's Early Life and Military Career

The Umayyad Caliphate at its greatest extent around 740 AD.

Nasr was a military leader with a lot of experience in Khurasan. As early as 705, he took part in a military campaign along the upper Oxus River. This campaign was led by Salih, the brother of Qutayba ibn Muslim, a general who was trying to conquer Transoxiana. For his service, Nasr was given a whole village in that region.

Even with Qutayba's victories, much of Central Asia east of the Oxus River was not fully controlled by the Arabs. The Umayyad Caliphate often relied on local rulers who paid tribute. Also, there were clashes with the Chinese-backed Türgesh. The Umayyads also had unclear rules about converting local people to Islam. Mass conversions would mean less tax money. Plus, growing conflicts between Arab tribes weakened Umayyad control.

In 724, Nasr led an army against Balkh. Some troops there refused to join an expedition that ended badly. Nasr's troops fought and won against them. This made some people, especially those around Balkh, dislike him. During the time of a Yamani governor named Asad ibn Abdallah al-Qasri, Nasr lost favor and was treated poorly.

Nasr was one of the few Muslim leaders who fought well in the terrible Battle of the Defile in July 731. In 734, he became governor of Balkh. There, he faced a rebellion led by al-Harith ibn Surayj. Ibn Surayj wanted tax reforms and an end to unfair treatment of local converts to Islam (called mawali). Ibn Surayj captured Balkh with only 4,000 followers, even though Nasr had 10,000 men.

It's not clear if Nasr lost the city or if it was taken when he was away. Either way, Nasr and his army did not act during the rest of the revolt. They didn't help the capital city, Merv, when the rebels attacked it. This encouraged other local tribes to join the uprising. Eventually, the rebels were defeated by Juday al-Kirmani. Ibn Surayj then fled across the Oxus River to the Türgesh.

Nasr Becomes Governor of Khurasan

Map of Khurasan and Transoxiana in the 8th century.

In July 738, Nasr was 74 years old when he was made governor of Khurasan. Despite his age, people respected him for his military achievements and his knowledge of Khurasan. He was also known for his skills as a leader.

However, his appointment was also due to his tribal background. In the early days of the Muslim conquests, Arab armies were divided into groups based on their tribes. Over time, these groups formed two large super-groups: the northern Arab Mudar (or Qays) and the southern Arabs (or Yaman). By the 8th century, these groups were strong rivals. They often fought for power, causing constant instability.

During the rule of Caliph Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik (724–743), the Umayyad government usually appointed Mudari governors in Khurasan. Nasr's appointment came four months after the death of the Yamani governor Asad. Many thought Juday al-Kirmani, a Yamani leader, should have been chosen. But his Yamani roots made him unacceptable to the caliph.

Nasr, on the other hand, was a Mudari. He was also married to a woman from the powerful Tamim tribe. This made him acceptable to the many Mudari soldiers in Khurasan. As a local, he could also help reduce the unhappiness of Khurasani Arabs with the Umayyad government, which was centered in Syria.

Nasr's own tribal background was not from a noble family. This suited the caliph, as it meant Nasr didn't have his own strong local power base. His position depended heavily on the Umayyad government in Damascus. The caliph reportedly said he himself would be Nasr's tribal group, meaning Nasr would rely on him.

Because of this, many Arab tribesmen did not fully accept Nasr's rule. The Yamanis favored al-Kirmani. The Qays tribe around Nishapur refused to support him. Even some Syrian soldiers sided with his opponents. Nasr mostly relied on the support of his wife's Tamim tribe, who lived near Merv.

As long as he had a strong central government supporting him, Nasr could control his enemies. But after Caliph Hisham died in 743, that support disappeared. Nasr managed to keep his position for ten years, despite the chaos that swept through the Caliphate. When Yazid III became caliph in 744, he first ordered Nasr to be replaced. Nasr refused and held onto his post, and was later confirmed as governor. When Marwan II became caliph in December 744, he also confirmed Nasr's position.

Reforms and Military Campaigns

Nasr brought a time of good government, stability, and wealth to his province. A historian from the 9th century said that "Khurasan was built up as it had never been before." His main achievements were changing the tax system and bringing Transoxiana back under Umayyad control.

The tax system in Khurasan had been the same since the Muslim conquest. Local non-Muslim leaders, called dihqans, collected a fixed tribute. They often treated Muslim settlers and local converts unfairly. This made people unhappy with Umayyad rule and led to revolts like Ibn Surayj's.

In 739, Nasr simplified the tax system. He made all landowners pay a tax called kharaj. Non-Muslims also had to pay an extra tax called jizyah. This meant 30,000 Muslims no longer had to pay the jizyah, and 80,000 non-Muslims had to start paying it. They also made sure the kharaj was collected fairly, which generally eased the tax burden. This reform is thought to have helped win back the loyalty of local people and their leaders.

When he became governor, Nasr moved the provincial capital back to Merv from Balkh. He also appointed sub-governors for the first time. He chose his allies and supporters to reward them and to improve his control over the province.

Nasr took advantage of the Türgesh khaganate (their empire) falling apart after their leader, Suluk, was killed. Nasr moved his armies aggressively across the Oxus River. His first campaign was in the Chaghaniyan area. In 740, his second campaign took back much of Sogdia, including Samarkand, with little fighting.

Nasr wanted to regain all the lands that Qutayba ibn Muslim had controlled before. He also wanted to stop the rebel Ibn Surayj, who was based there. So, Nasr launched an expedition toward al-Shash (Tashkent). The principality of Usrushana surrendered peacefully. But when the Muslim army reached the Jaxartes River, they faced a force of 15,000 from Shash, along with Ibn Surayj's men and some Türgesh.

According to Arab stories, Nasr drove off the Türgesh and won a victory against one of their groups, killing its chief. He didn't fully conquer al-Shash. Instead, he made an agreement with the ruler of Shash. Ibn Surayj was sent to Farab, where he was allowed to continue his opposition to the Umayyads. Nasr also launched two expeditions against Ferghana, which plundered the countryside and took many captives. It seems that the Muslim reconquest at this time didn't go much further than Samarkand.

By 743, the Umayyad position in Khurasan seemed stronger than ever. But beneath the surface, things were different. There was tension between the Khurasani Arab soldiers and the 20,000 Syrian troops sent to the province. Tribal rivalries also caused problems. Many people disliked the Umayyads' Syrian rule, especially because of their unfair tax policies. Even though Nasr tried to fix things, it was too late.

Khurasan was also a major center for early Shiism, a branch of Islam. In 742–743, Nasr fought and defeated a revolt led by Yahya ibn Zayd, a Shiite leader. Yahya was captured and killed. This opened the way for the Khurasani branch of the movement to come under the control of the Abbasids. However, people in Transoxiana respected Nasr. No city there welcomed the Shiite missionaries. They remained loyal to him even during the later Abbasid Revolution.

Civil Wars and the Abbasid Revolution

In 743, after Caliph Hisham died, his successor, Walid II, confirmed Nasr in his position. The powerful governor of Iraq, Yusuf ibn Umar al-Thaqafi, who was an opponent of Nasr, tried to get him to leave his province by calling him to Iraq. Nasr delayed his departure. He was saved when Walid was murdered in April 744.

Walid's successor, Yazid III, wanted to set up a government controlled by the Yamani Kalb tribe. Nasr's position was severely weakened. The Yamani group hoped their leader, Juday al-Kirmani, would be appointed governor instead. Yazid did appoint his favorite, Mansur ibn Jumhur, as governor of Iraq. Mansur then nominated his own brother to replace Nasr. Nasr refused to accept this. He was lucky again, as Mansur soon lost favor and was dismissed after only two months.

Nasr believed that no matter the problems in the main parts of the caliphate, the Arabs of Khurasan, who lived on a dangerous border, could not afford to fight among themselves. A historian reported Nasr's words: "O people of Khurasan, you are an armed post at the throat of the enemy. Beware! Beware lest two of your swords cross each other!"

Despite Nasr's pleas, the Yamani group continued to cause trouble. There were rumors that Nasr had hidden letters appointing al-Kirmani as governor. There was also a dispute about paying soldiers. Nasr tried to secure his position by removing al-Kirmani from his leadership of the Azd tribe. He also tried to win over other Azd and Rabi'ah leaders. This led to a general uprising by the Azd and Rabi'ah tribes under al-Kirmani.

On 13 July 744, Nasr captured and imprisoned al-Kirmani. But after barely a month, al-Kirmani escaped. His rebellion was joined by Azd soldiers and many Arab settlers around Merv. They agreed to a temporary truce and tried to negotiate, but it didn't work. When Yazid confirmed Nasr in his post again, al-Kirmani and the Yamanis resumed their revolt.

Nasr tried to strengthen his position by getting help from al-Harith ibn Surayj, al-Kirmani's old enemy. Ibn Surayj had a lot of support among some Arab tribes, especially his own Tamimis. When Ibn Surayj arrived at Merv in July 745, the people of the town welcomed him warmly. Ibn Surayj ignored Nasr's offers to work together. He soon went to the countryside and started his own rebellion.

Ibn Surayj also used the fact that Caliph Marwan II was unpopular among the Mudar tribe and Nasr's followers. Nasr recognized Marwan II as the rightful caliph in exchange for keeping his own post. Using this unhappiness, Ibn Surayj soon gathered an army of over 3,000 men.

In March 746, Ibn Surayj's army attacked Merv, but they were pushed back with many losses. He then joined forces with al-Kirmani. With Marwan II still trying to secure his power in Syria and Mesopotamia, Nasr had no hope of getting reinforcements. The combined armies of Ibn Surayj and al-Kirmani drove Nasr out of Merv toward the end of 746.

Nasr retreated to Nishapur. But within days, al-Kirmani and Ibn Surayj fought each other. This resulted in Ibn Surayj's death. Al-Kirmani then destroyed the Tamimi parts of the city. This was a shocking act, as homes were traditionally safe from warfare in Arab culture. As a result, the Mudari tribes, who had been hesitant to support Nasr, now joined him.

With their backing, especially the Qays tribe around Nishapur, Nasr decided to take back the capital. During the summer of 747, Nasr's and al-Kirmani's armies faced each other outside the walls of Merv. They set up two fortified camps and had small fights for several months. The fighting stopped only when news came that the Hashimiyya uprising had begun under Abu Muslim.

Negotiations started, but they almost broke down when a member of Nasr's group, an angry son of Ibn Surayj, attacked and killed al-Kirmani. For the moment, calmer people helped the two sides settle their differences. Nasr re-occupied his seat in Merv. However, tensions remained. Abu Muslim soon convinced Ali, al-Kirmani's son and successor, that Nasr was involved in his father's murder.

As a result, both Ali al-Kirmani and Nasr separately asked Abu Muslim for help against each other. Abu Muslim now held the power to decide. He eventually chose to support al-Kirmani. On 14 February 748, the Hashimiyya army occupied Merv. Nasr had to flee the city again.

Chased by the Hashimiyya forces under Qahtaba ibn Shabib al-Ta'i, Nasr was forced to leave Nishapur too after his son Tamim was defeated at Tus. He retreated to the region of Qumis, on the western border of Khurasan. At this point, the long-awaited reinforcements from the caliph arrived. But their general and Nasr failed to work together. Qahtaba was able to defeat the caliph's army at Rayy and kill its commander.

Nasr was now forced to leave Qumis and flee toward Hamadan. On the way, in the town of Sawa, he became ill and died on 9 December, at the age of 85.

Nasr's grandson, Rafi ibn al-Layth, later led a large rebellion against the Abbasid governor from 807 to 810. This rebellion spread across Khurasan and Transoxiana.

Images for kids

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  The Umayyad Caliphate at its greatest extent around 740 AD.

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  Map of Khurasan and Transoxiana in the 8th century.

Sources

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