Talk:Afshin (Caliphate General)

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Contents

[edit] merger of al-Afshin and Afshin

Hi, Parthian Shot. Sounds like a good idea. I don't know wikipedia's procedures here. What I'll do is write here anything I think ought to be added from al-Afshin to Afshin (since I'm easy going on the name, though there ought to be redirect to Afshin from al-Afshin) and you say yes or state your objections. Sound good? Gallador 02:09, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

Hi, Parthian Shot. I think we otta add here that the Armenian leader turned Babak over to Afshin, Afshin brought Babak to the caliph and Babak was executed. I would spell out the reward as in the al-Afshin article. I think for the English reader Byzantine invasion has much more meaning than Anatolian campaign. If you follow the Theophilos link you'll see there it's claimed that the Byzantine emperor destroyed the birthplace of al-Mu'tasim and the caliph's response was against the major Byzantine city that was the birthplace of that Byzantine dynasty. Why not include the description of Afshin's son's wedding? I think names can be spelled one way, and, if there's a link (Maziar, for example) than that's a good one to use. That's it for now. What do you think? Gallador 02:50, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

It should be merged. I just noticed it.

Here is the content of Al-Afshin

[edit] Al-Afshin

Al-Afshin, Haydar b. Kawuz (d. May or June 841) was a Ninth Century Prince of Ushrusanah and leading Abbasid general.

[edit] Earlier Years

Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari records (v. 32, p. 135) that in A.H. 207 caliph al-Ma'mun sent Ahmad ibn Abi Khalid to Khurasan. That commander acquired control of the Transoxanian principality of Ushrusanah for the Abbasid caliphate. Al-Afshin's father, Kawus ibn Kharakhurah, submitted. Kawus and his son Fadl went to al-Ma'mun. Although Fadl's brother Haydar is not named in the entry under this year, he is one who played a very prominent role on behalf of the Abbasids.

In 216 and 217 (831-833), he suppressed uprisings in Egypt from remote regions to Alexandria. On June 2, 832 the news was proclaimed of his great success in taking Bima in Egypt. It surrendered to al-Afshin's extension of al-Ma'mun's promise of safe conduct.

[edit] Babak Khorramdin

In A.H. 220 (835), Caliph al-Mu'tasim appointed al-Afshin governor of Jibal and sent him against the Iranian seccessionist leader Babak. Babak was one of a series of such opponents to the Arab empire and he in particular had been especially challenging for the caliph's armies. That year al-Afshin met Babak in battle, defeated him and inflicted heavy losses. Babak escaped. The next year, al-Afshin avoided the traps Babak planned and instead surprised Babak, captured his camp and drove off his forces.

In A.H. 222, al-Mu'tasim sent reinforcements to al-Afshin. The general, followed the caliph's instructions to be prudent and patient. He succeeded in seizing Babak's major stronghold of Badbhbh (Babak Castle). Ya'qubi (Tarikh II, 579) records al-Afshin freeing 7,600 Muslim prisoners from this fortress. Al-Afshin destroyed Badhbh. He wrote to the Armenian ruler advising him that Babak was heading his way.

Al-Afshin received a letter of safe conduct for Babak from al-Mu'tasim. Al-Afshin forced some of Babak's supporters to take it to Babak. Babak was furious and rejected it. However, the Armenian leader Sunbat handed Babak to al-Afshin. After granting Babak a night to wander ruined Badhdh, al-Afshin brought his prisoner to the caliph in Samarra. He arrived on January 4, 838. Babak was executed.

On March 14, 838, al-Mu'tasim rewarded his general for this outstanding success. He granted al-Afshin a crown, two jeweled belts, twenty million dirhams and an appointment as governor of Sind. At this celebratory event the caliph had court poets sing al-Afshin's praises, including one who referred to him as "the stallion of the east." (al-Tabari 33 p. 92)

[edit] Byzantine Invasion

In that same year al-Afshin joined his caliph in al-Mu'tasim's striking response to a Byzantine attack against the caliphate. John Bagot Glubb (p. 345) cites Masudi for claiming this was the largest army, two hundred thousand strong, any caliph had led against the Byzantines. The Caliph led one prong of this retaliatory invasion, al-Afshin the other.

As the two prongs entered Byzantine territory separated by a hundred and fifty miles, Theophilos (emperor) decided to hit one of the portions of the Muslim army, before the entire invasion force joined together. It was al-Afshin the emperor attacked. Al-Afshin steadied his troops. His men met the Byzantines' full force as commanded by their emperor. Al-Afshin's men held. He counter-attacked. This battle, on July 21, 838, was a decisive Muslim victory. Al-Afshin triumphed. The emperor and his surviving soldiers withdrew in disorder. They did not interfere as al-Afshin continued on to Ankyra meeting up there with al-Mu'tasim.

From Ankyra, the full Muslim force advanced on the Byzantine stronghold of Amorium. A Muslim captive escaped from that city and disclosed the weakness of a section of its walls. The caliph concentrated his bombardment on this section. A breach was made. Amorium was captured.

[edit] Downfall

Al-Afshin seems not to have been involved in the major conspiracy that cost many commanders of that Byzantine expedition their lives. Indeed, in A.H. 224 (838-839) he had a magnificent celebration of his son Hasan's wedding. Caliph al-Mu'tasim personally provided for the guests. However, al-Afshin, wishing to replace Abdallah ibn Tahir as governor of Khurasan, had begun intriguing with Mazyar ibn Qarin, a prince in the Caspian region. Mazyar rebelled and was defeated. In Adharbayjan, al-Afshin's kinsman Minkajur rebelled.

These rebellions caused al-Afshin to fall from favour. His situation was made worse by the finding of alleged correspondence between him and Mazyar. Further, the Khurasanian governor, Abdallah ibn Tahir, alleged that he had intercepted some of Babak's wealth al-Afshin had obtained in that campaign and was seeking to transfer secretly to al-Afshin's lands in Ushrusanah. When Mazyar arrived in Samarra, al-Afshin was arrested.

Mazyar participated in the interrogation of the former general, asserting that al-Afshin had conspired with him. Others present raised additional questions concerning the sincerity of al-Afshin's conversion to Islam. Al-Afshin had answers to all the allegations. He claimed that Zoroastrian artefacts and books in his possession were family heirlooms from before he had become Muslim. He explained that when he punished a pair of Muslim fanatics destroying idols in Ushrusanah he was exercising reasonable leadership aimed at maintaining the harmony of his religiously diverse territory. He told his detractors that the formulaic address his people used in writing to him in Persian as "Lord of lords," was simply a tradition and did not invalidate his personal belief in one God. (al-Tabari v. 33, p. 187f)

All such replies were unsuccessful. Al-Mu'tasim had a special prison built for al-Afshin. It was known as "The Pearl" and was in the shape of a minaret. There he spent the final nine months of his life and there he passed away in May or June of 841.

[edit] Tribute

Perhaps, a fitting conclusion of an article on al-Afshin is found in some of the poetry that was composed about him. Al-Tabari (v. 33, p. 120-121) quotes these lines of al-Husayn ibn al-Duhhak al-Bahili:

  • All glory falls below that which he established/ for the house of Kawus, the lords of the Persians.
  • Al-Afshin is nothing but a sword drawn/ by God's power in the hand of al-Mu'tasim.
  • He left no inhabitant of al-Badhdh/ except for images like those of Iram.
  • Then he brought forward as a present its ruler Babak as a captive...
  • And he pierced Theophilus with a well aimed lance thrust/ which shattered both his armies together
  • and routed him.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari History v. 32 "The Reunification of the Abbasid Caliphate," SUNY, Albany, 1987; v. 33 "Storm and Stress along the Northern Frontiers of the Abbasid Caliphate," transl. C.E. Bosworth, SUNY, Albany, 1991
  • John Bagot Glubb, The Empire of the Arabs, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1963

[edit] origin of Afshin discussion moved from Sahl ibn Smbat

[edit] Afshin

The article claims that Afshin, the Persian prince of Oshrusana, was a Turk. This is wrong. Afshin (as the name suggests) was an Iranian Muslim general who served the Abbasid caliph. He is known as the great traitor who betryed Babak and the Persian nationalist movement, by fighting Babak and freeing some 7000 Arab prisoners.

Afshin's army consisted of a large number of Turkish slave soldiers, but he himself was an Iranian. His father was among the powerful Iranian Muslim advisors of the Abasids, just like the famous Barmakid family. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 82.83.128.189 (talk) 18:49:32, August 19, 2007 (UTC)

Tajik, Afshin was a Turk, the reference at the end of that sentence says that. Atabek 02:31, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
Atabek, there good amount of sources that Afshin was Iranian. Besides Bosworth in Iranica, here are some:

[1] [2] [3] [4] I am not going to get involved on the Sahl issue here, but there is no reason to bring Afshin to the debate. --alidoostzadeh 19:09, 23 August 2007 (UTC)

Ali, I don't see how Bosworth would be an expert on Afshin as well. But in general al-Istakhri, J. Saint Martin, relying on Armenian historians, as well as Britannica [5]. Moreover, Afshin originated from Ferghana, which is modern-day Uzbekistan, homeland of Timur, and can hardly be called "Iranian" region. In future, please, discuss your edits and wait for reply before editing the article. Thanks. Atabek 19:23, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
Atabek at the time of Afshin, Ferghana was Soghdian speaking. Uzbeks came much later. Bosworth is a top expert on medieval Islamic history. I think both views should simply be presented in the Afshin article. I brought 4 google links. I agree some classical sources call him a Turk as well, but at the same time, many people from Central Asia were called a Turk in some Arabic sources. (this is discussed in several different JSTOR articles) even if they were not. I think simply there is no reason to argue on Afshin in this page as Sahl ibn Smbat is enough for people who are involved (for example Ibn Hawqal says he is the ruler of Armenia and there is another source calling him ruler of Albania and there is sufficient number of discussions here without getting Afshin involved). The case of Sahl article might have resemblence to Afshin. But there should be a better approach than this article, I think the comments on the origin of Afshin should be removed from here and the Afshin page modified to reflect both views. I am not ruling out Afshin was Turkic or Iranic. But to put one view on this page is not encyclopedic. Thanks. --alidoostzadeh 19:51, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
Ali, I agree that we should put multiple views. And I can put more Google links to 3 sources I provided above, claiming he was a Turk. But then I don't see why the page on Afshin claims him as only Iranian general without mentioning other references to Turkish origin. Also claiming that in 8-9th century, Ferghana, in the heart of Central Asia, had no Turks, while they suddenly appeared in 10th century as Seljuks and invaded Iran from the east, does not seem quite plausible. Atabek 20:22, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
The Seljuqs were not from Ferghana, they were from the region around the Aral sea (ca. 1000 km further north), and they did not invade Iran, they invaded the northern parts of Khorasan before being forced to accept various coalitions within Iran (see the excellent article in Encyclopaedia of Islam). "Turks invading Iran" is misleading and gives the impression that the Oghuz Turks, as an ethnic unit, invaded and conquered Iran. This is simply not true. The migration of Turkic peoples into Persia was a slow process that had not much to do with invasions, and it was quite different from the later Mongol invasion which resulted in the massacre of many millions: Iranians and Turks. Native entities never regarded the Seljuqs as invaders or enemies of Islam. It was quite the opposite: Iranian nobles supported the Seljuq cause, because for the first time after the Arab conquest, the Iranian lands were united under one political power which also incorporated native Iranians and native Iranian traditions. Khorasanian nobles were appointed to the position of veziers, military commanders, advisors, etc etc etc. Your conclusion that "Afshin was a Turk because he was from Ferghana" is wrong anyway, because we know from historical sources, especially from the works of al-Biruni, that Central Asia was predominantly Iranian. The number of Turkic tribes was very small, and many of them had been converted to Islam by the zealous jihad of the Samanids. Samanid sources claim that 200,000 Turks ("50,000 tents") were forcefully converted to Islam, and those Turks were mostly residants of what is now the southern Qazaq steppes (see Ibn Athir, volume 8, pg. 396). Later on, the Ghaznavids claimed that a total number of some 70,000 Oghuz were moving from the north into Ghaznavid territory (see Tarikh-i Masudi; Turko-Mongol influences in Central Asia, in R.L. Canfield (ed.), Turko-Persia in historical perspective, Cambridge 1991, 58 and n. 10). These are very realistic numbers, because, as Canfield puts it, "the ways of life possible in the steppes meant that there were natural and environmental limitations on the numbers of the nomads". We are talking about the 10th and 11th centuries, and the entire number of Turks recorded by Muslim historians was not more than some 250,000. Even if we double the number to 500,000 Turks in Central Asia (men, women, and children), then this is still nothing compared to the sedentary and established Central Asian cities, each of them having a population of more than 50,000 at that time (Samarqand, Bukhara, Tus, Nishapur, Balkh, Herat, etc etc etc). The Turks were not a threat to the cultural and social environment of back then, because their number was small and they resided - as nomads - outside the centers of society. That's why the Turks rapidly adopted the way of life of the settled population and not vice versa. Your entire conclusion is wrong. And keeping in mind that Afshin lived in the 9th century, it is very unlikely that he was a Turk. His name, his birthplace, the name of his father, his title, and the name of his family point to an Iranian origin. At that time, the number of Turks in Muslim armies was still small. This changed a century later, when the Samanids actively recruited Turks into their army, of whom some later became important generals and founders of dynasties. (Sebüktegin, for example, or Qutb ud-Din Aybak) 82.83.158.97 23:28, 23 August 2007 (UTC)
Okay lets move the discussion of Afshin to the last page. I think if some sources call him a Turk then we should mention both viewpoint in the article. I am going to move this discussion of Afshin into the Afshin page. Given the letter of Afshin to Kuhyar, (where Turks, Arabs and Maghrebs (berbers)) are identified as enemies, I think Iranian is more probable..--alidoostzadeh 00:59, 24 August 2007 (UTC)